What Should Have Been
by The Lilac Elf of Lothlorien
Summary: What if Gibbs' daughter, Kelly, had lived? How would the lives of the NCIS characters change with Kelly Gibbs in the picture? A rewriting of different episodes with Gibbs' daughter alive and well.
1. Kill Ari

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Watching one of my favorite episodes 'Honor Code' and specifically the very end of the episode, I wondered what would be different if Kelly had lived. So I decided to do a story using certain episodes and rewriting them.

First up is 'Kill Ari' parts 1 and 2.

Please read, review, and show your love!

* * *

NCIS: What Should Have Been…

* * *

_15 Years Ago_

Leroy Jethro Gibbs couldn't believe what he'd just heard. Shannon… His beautiful Shannon was dead… Looking up at his CO, Gibbs asked, "And Kelly?"

"She's pretty banged up according to the doctors…" The other man replied. "But it looks like she'll make it."

"I have to get home," Gibbs insisted.

"I know, Gunny," the CO said, nodding. "I'll do my best to get you out in the morning."

----------

When he'd finally gotten home, Gibbs stood outside his daughter's hospital room, watching his little girl sleeping. Kelly's right leg was in a cast up to her hip and she was covered in healing cuts and scrapes. Gibbs had spent the past few days trying to figure out the best way to tell Kelly that her mom was gone and when he saw Kelly start to wake up, he figured he couldn't put it off any more. Going into the room and sitting next to the bed, Gibbs waited until the little girl looked at him.

"Daddy?" Kelly asked, trying to sit up a bit. "Where's Mommy?"

Gibbs sighed as he leaned forward. "She's gone, Kelly…" Seeing the pain and denial in his little girl's eyes Gibbs said, "I'm sorry, Kelly. I should have been here. If I hadn't left…"

Kelly didn't reply but there were tears falling down her cheeks as she pulled the blankets up to her chin. After a minute or two, Kelly whispered, "Daddy, don't leave, okay?"

Gibbs smiled at his daughter and promised, "Never again, Kelly."

* * *

_13 Years Later_

The rain had been coming down hard for a few hours and in the apartment she shared with her best friend, Maddie Tyler, Kelly Gibbs was still curled in an armchair next to the phone praying that someone from her father's team would call.

"No news?" Maddie asked, startling her friend as she came into the room. "Kelly?"

"They went to that warehouse 5 hours ago," Kelly said, staring to the phone, willing it to ring.

"They would have called if—" Maddie was cut off by a sharp ring from the phone which Kelly snatched up.

"Dad?" Kelly asked, wanting, more than ever, to hear her father's voice.

"Kate's dead," Gibbs' voice said, hoarsely.

"Oh, God…" Kelly said, quietly. "Dad, I… I-Is everyone else okay? Tim and Tony…?"

"Processing the crime scene," Gibbs replied. "I-I'll call and check in later, okay?"

"Sure, Daddy," Kelly said, hanging up. Looking up at Maddie, she said, "I need to get over to NCIS."

Maddie nodded and grabbed her car keys and her jacket. "Let's go."

----------

Alone in the squad room, Leroy Jethro Gibbs looked out at the dark and rainy night before turning to look at the desk of Special Agent Caitlin Todd. The agent who had dived in front of a bullet to protect him before taking a sniper shot to the head.

"Why me, Gibbs?" Kate seemed to ask him, looking the same as when she'd died. "Wasn't stopping one bullet enough for you? Why did I have to take _two_?"

Gibbs shook his head. It was late… he was tired and his mind was too scattered to think about making sense of what had happened. "I… I don't know," Gibbs admitted.

"You don't know?" Kate asked, leaning down. "Come on, Gibbs. What does that famous gut tell you? Why did _I_ die instead of _you_?"

"Daddy?"

Gibbs turned to see Kelly coming off the elevator followed by Agents Anthony DiNozzo and Timothy McGee. "Kelly. What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to make sure you were okay," Kelly replied, as her father stood and hugged her. "I needed to see you."

"Does Maddie know you left?" Gibbs asked, noticing how wet his daughter looked.

"She dropped me off," Kelly nodded.

Gibbs looked at Tony and McGee and asked, "What do you got?"

"We found Ari's sniper's nest, boss," Tony replied.

"Roof top of an abandoned office building to the east," McGee added.

Tony held out a bag of evidence jars, saying, "He didn't police his brass."

"Are those .308s?" Kelly asked, watching her father as he looked at the casings under the light of the desk lamp.

"Lapua," Tony added, with a nod.

"Match-grade sniper ammo," Gibbs muttered, before looking at Tony. "Tony… You're soaking wet. Go put some dry clothes on." Looking at Kelly, he could see that she wanted to be there but he didn't want to talk shop in front of his daughter. "Kelly…" Holding out the evidence bag, he said, "Take this down to Abby."

"Dad…" Kelly said, taking the bag.

"Kelly," Gibbs said, firmly. "Please."

Kelly started ever so slightly at the word but she nodded before dropping the bag and throwing her arms around her father's neck. "I'm so glad you're not dead, Daddy," She said, hugging him and smiling slightly when Gibbs hugged her back. Letting go and giving her father a smile and a kiss on the cheek, she grabbed the evidence bag and headed to the elevator, stopping it just before it reached the next floor.

"It's okay to cry," Kate's voice said, quietly, as Kelly sniffed and wiped her eyes.

"Last time I cried…" Kelly sniffled. "…was when Mom died."

"I think your dad would understand," Kate replied as Kelly turned the elevator back on.

Going into Abby Scuito's lab, Kelly heard the forensic scientist's sobbing laugh and asked, "Abby?"

"Kelly," Abby replied as she finished pulling her hair into it's usual pigtails. "What are you doing here?"

"Are you okay?" Kelly asked, walking over.

Abby didn't reply, but instead stood and pulled Gibbs' daughter into a hug. "I will be." Pulling away she asked, "What can I do for you?"

"You're acting about as weird as Dad right now," Kate said, quietly.

"How's that?" Abby asked.

"He's being nice," Tony said as he came into the room.

"Gibbs is always nice," Abby countered.

"To you, Ducky, and Kelly, maybe," Tony replied. "Me, he growls at and smacks on the head."

"Which makes you feel wanted," Abby insisted. "What do you have for me?" she asked, noticing the evidence bag Kelly was holding.

".308 casings from Ari's sniper's nest," Tony replied as Kelly handed the bag over.

Abby seemed to be annoyed as she said, "You would have to give me the most popular caliber in the world."

"Well, hey, I just found them," Tony replied, a snap in his voice. "Can you tell what weapon he used?"

"A .308?" Kelly replied, sarcasm dripping from her tone.

"What model .308?" Tony asked, his tone snippy as he looked from Kelly to Abby.

"You don't know?" Abby asked Tony as she wrote her name on the evidence bag.

"You're the firearms expert," Tony stated.

"That I am," Abby said as she pulled latex gloves on. "And when I'm done I will tell you the propellant, the primer, the percentage of copper and nickel in the brass, whether or not all three rounds were fired using the same weapon, which you assume, but I can prove or disprove." Her voice was getting more and more agitated as she started turning on her computers and equipment. "I will tell you who manufactured the ammo, the batch number, and, perhaps, where it was sold. I will also tell you with some degree of accuracy whether it was fired from a lever-action, a bolt action, a semi-automatic, or an automatic weapon." Turning back to Tony Abby was practically shouting as she finished, "However, there is no way in Hell I could tell you which of the 87 different .308 weapons fired those rounds!"

Tony looked like a puppy that had just been yelled at and he said, quietly, "The rounds are Lapua."

"What?" Abby asked, exasperated.

"Lapua made the ammo," Tony clarified.

"Logo's on the rim," Kelly added, not wiping away the tears in her eyes.

Abby was crying as well and she and Kelly hugged Tony who put his arms around the two women. "Tony, I'm going to miss her," Abby sobbed.

"I know," Tony whispered. "Me, too." A split second later, however, he pulled both girls down as a shot came through the window. "You guys okay?" Tony asked as Kelly cried out.

"Yeah," Abby said, from underneath Tony. "You're really heavy."

"Sorry," Tony said as he pulled both Kelly and Abby to the side and out of range.

"No wonder you're so heavy," Abby said, feeling Tony's abs as he pulled his weapon from it's holster. "Tony, you're all muscle."

Behind Tony, Kelly lightly smacked his butt. "Packing a nice booty, too."

Looking at the girls, Tony frowned. "Is this how the two of you handle being shot at?"

Kelly shrugged and Abby said, "I don't know. It's my first time."

"Boss, down, we're taking fire," Tony said and Kelly saw her father come into the room keeping low and turning off the lights of Abby's refrigerators as he joined them.

"You guys okay?" Gibbs asked the three of them, but looking specifically at Kelly.

"We're fine, Daddy," Kelly insisted as Gibbs sat between her and Abby, putting an arm around both of them.

Looking at Tony, Gibbs said, "Close off Anacostia Park between the bridges. Tell Metro cops it's a crime scene."

"Got it, boss," Tony said and started to stand up.

"Hey!" Gibbs said in a low shot as he pulled Tony down. "What if he has a night-vision scope?"

"That's a good point, boss," Tony admitted as he stayed low and headed for the elevator.

Looking at Abby, Gibbs said, "I will get you bullet-proof glass."

"There's no such thing, Dad," Kelly said, hugging him.

"Bullet-resistant glass," Gibbs amended, picking glass from Abby's hair before turning to Kelly and pulling her closer.

"Ari didn't shoot at you and hit Kate by mistake, did he?" Abby said, looking at her boss. "He's after me, now."

"I was walking by that window when he fired," Gibbs replied not wanting to think about how he almost lost Abby _and_ Kelly in one shot.

"You're just trying to make us feel better," Kelly said, quietly.

"I'll keep you both safe," Gibbs said, kissing the top of Kelly's head before doing the same to Abby. "I promise."

Kelly didn't want to say anything, but the question she thought of was _'Like you kept Mom safe?'_

-------------

Up in the squad room, Kelly looked at Tony as Abby finished writing up an incident report. "What aren't you telling me, Tony?" Kelly asked, staring down the senior field agent from Kate's desk where she was curled in the chair.

"About what?" Tony asked, dodging the question.

"About all of this," Kelly snapped, angrily. "First someone's trying to kill Dad… then Kate gets shot… What is going on?"

Tony sighed as he sat down and looked at Gibbs' daughter. "Ari Haswari is a Hamas terrorist. He's the same one who shot your Dad before. Now it looks like he's targeting the people who work with Gibbs."

Kelly took a deep breath and said, "This guy was trying to kill me and Abby?"

"Probably," Tony replied as Kelly got up and started pacing. "Kelly… You should have stayed home."

"Come on, Kel," Abby said as she finished her report. "You can help me process the car in the evidence garage."

Kelly nodded and hurried after Abby. After meeting the forensic scientist 6 years ago, Kelly had become fascinated with the whole subject and when she'd started college, she'd decided to go into forensics. Halfway through her master's degree, Kelly knew enough to be an assistant to Abby on cases.

"You okay?" Abby asked as they got off the elevator.

"I don't know," Kelly replied as she followed Abby into the evidence garage. "Ask me later when people aren't trying to kill me."

Abby gave her a knowing smile. "You got it."

----------------------

"—I got a dead agent, a sniper on the loose, and my daughter here. I don't have 10 minutes to spare."

Tony glanced up when he heard Gibbs' voice coming down the stairs from the second level a short while later.

"Tony, where are we?" Gibbs asked, stopping in front of the agent's desk.

"Abby, McGee, and Kelly are working firearms analysis," Tony replied, looking at Gibbs and the redheaded woman with him. "I'm matching tire tracks to vehicles."

"No one is to leave the building," Gibbs ordered, giving Tony a pointed look. "That includes Kelly. Remind her to call Maddie and let her know what's going on," he added, turning and heading for the elevator, the mystery woman following. "God knows I don't need the both of them in danger. McGee's on protection detail with Abby and Kelly. I'll be back in an hour."

Tony smiled as Gibbs left the room and somewhere in his mind… or maybe it was Kate's ghost—but he heard, "Your mother should have washed your mind out with soap." Standing next to his desk, Tony saw Kate standing there wearing jeans tighter than anything she'd worn in life and a tight low-cut tank top. "Gibbs leaves with a woman and your only thought is: Nooner."

Tony shook his head and leaned back with a sigh. "Actually I was wondering if she knows Gibbs' #1 girl will always be Kelly."

"Sure you were, DiNozzo," Kate said, smirking. "Next you're going to tell me you've never had fantasies about sleeping with Kelly."

Tony laughed but before he could reply to the hallucination, he saw a woman standing near Kate's desk. "Can I help you?"

"Ziva David," The woman replied, holding out a badge. "Mossad."

"You're Israeli," Tony said, looking Ziva over. "What can I do for you, Miss David?"

"Nothing," Ziva replied. "I'm here to see Special Agent Gibbs."

"How do you know I'm not Gibbs?" Tony asked, smirking.

"Gibbs?" Ziva asked again as she sat down in Kate's chair.

"He'll be back in an hour," Tony replied, a bit thrown off by the woman's brazen personality. "Are you sure I can't help you?"

Ziva tsked and replied, "I don't think so."

Tony sighed and stood, walking over to Ziva. "Okay, we got off to a bad start. I'm Special Agent Tony DiNozzo, Gibbs' senior field agent and his second in command. Since Gibbs isn't here, I know he'd want me to help you in any way I can."

"You can't help," Ziva said, standing as well. "Because I'm here to stop Special Agent Gibbs from killing a Mossad officer."

"Ari Haswari?" Tony asked, smirking.

"Yes," Ziva confirmed.

"I'd wish you luck," Tony replied, facing off with Ziva. "But I want the bastard dead, too. He killed my partner and he almost killed Gibbs' daughter."

Ziva backed away and went to sit and wait for Gibbs to return from whatever he was doing. Here at NCIS she felt more unwelcome than she'd ever felt at any other government agency.

-------

Down in the forensics lab, Kelly was sitting off to the side watching Abby and McGee work while slow sorrowful blues played in the background and a maintenance crew put in the promised bullet resistant glass on all the windows.

"What is with this music?" McGee asked as he walked up behind Abby.

"I'm playing it out of respect for Kate," Abby replied, working on her computer.

"I thought you were from New Orleans," McGee said, a bit puzzled.

"So?" Abby asked.

"Well, don't they play jazz at funerals?" McGee asked.

Abby turned and gave him a look. "Coming _from_ the cemetery after the body has been buried," she clarified. "On the way _to_ the cemetery we play a dirge. Do you know what a dirge is, Timmy?"

"Creepy music?" McGee replied, shrugging.

"What are you doing here anyway?" Kelly asked, starting to get incredibly bored, despite the circumstances.

"Thank you," Abby added, happy that Kelly asked the question that had been on Abby's mind for the past few minutes. "McGee, just go back to the squad room and let me do my job."

McGee sighed. "I can't," he said, wishing that he could. The music was really starting to be annoying. It was so depressing…

"Why?" Kelly asked, getting off of Abby's computer stool and crossing her arms.

Looking from Kelly to Abby, McGee said, "Gibbs—Gibbs told me to watch over the two of you."

"Oh…" Abby said, turning back to her computers. "That is so sweet."

"No, it's unnecessary," Kelly said, annoyed. "I don't need a babysitter. I'm 24 years old. I think I can take care of myself."

"Kelly, if I leave you alone, Gibbs is going to kill me," McGee protested. "Just let me do my job, okay?"

"Where is Dad anyway?" Kelly muttered as she went to watch what Abby was doing.

"Don't know," McGee muttered to himself. "But I really hope he gets back soon."

--------------------------

"How's Kelly?" NCIS Director Jenny Shepard asked as she saw Gibbs coming down the basement stairs.

"She's fine," Gibbs said, shortly. "Scared right now. She wanted to check on me and got herself stuck in this mess."

"She looks even more like you now than she did 6 years ago," Jen noticed. "College?"

"Online courses," Gibbs replied. "She wants to go into forensics."

"Think she'll be happy to see me?" Jen asked as she and Gibbs stood in the dark basement.

"Don't know," Gibbs admitted, leaning on the boat frame that filled the basement space. "Why do you ask?"

"She's a wonderful young woman, Jethro," Jen replied. "Intelligent… Stubborn…" Smirking, she added, "She's just like you, really." After a few moments, Jen gave Gibbs a look. "Kelly shouldn't be involved in this, Jethro."

"You think _I_ brought my little girl into all this, Jen?" Gibbs snapped, angrily. "I want her to be at home with her best friend watching a movie and—and doing her nails!" Walking around the boat frame, Gibbs' eyes were filled with fire as he said, "Ari fired into Abby's lab and almost took out Abby, Kelly, _and_DiNozzo!"

"Jethro, those who know don't believe Ari Haswari is the sniper," Jen insisted.

"This is my team and my daughter that's at stake," Gibbs said. "I know it's him, Jen. And if you trust me you'll help me prove it."

"I'm on your side, Jethro," Jen said as they headed out of the basement and out to the car. "But I'm still going to need more than your gut to convince everyone else."

----------------------

Kelly was relieved when her father finally entered the lab. "Dad? Everything okay?" Catching his look she amended, "Other than… well…"

"Jenny Shepard is back in town," Gibbs said, watching his daughter's reaction. "She's the new director of NCIS."

"I'll have to go say 'hi'," Kelly replied.

"Go ahead," Gibbs said, giving her a look. "I need to talk to Abby."

Kelly nodded and asked, "When can I go home?"

"Not yet," Gibbs said. When Kelly sighed, he pulled her into a hug. "Hey. It'll be okay."

Kelly gave him a quick hug and headed for the elevator. When she got to the director's office, she knocked and waited until she heard a voice behind her.

"Kelly," Jen said as she reached the top of the stairs. "How are you?"

"Just wanted to drop by," Kelly said, smiling. Of all her father's girlfriends, lovers, and ex-wives, Jenny Shepard had always been her favorite and the two got along well. "Dad's talking shop with Abby."

"Are you okay?" Jen asked, concerned.

"I'm tired, I haven't had real food since last night, and I can't leave NCIS," Kelly said as she and Jen went into the director's office. "My best friend is worried about me and my Dad thinks someone wants to kill me. Other than that, I'm peachy."

Jen smiled and went to her private stock of snack stuff and pulled out a bag of pretzels before opening the small cooler next to the cabinet and pulling out a bottled water. "Here's what you're going to do," she said to Kelly. "Have a snack, take a nap on the couch, and I'll make sure Jethro calls your friend. Don't worry. You'll be safe here."

Kelly sat on the couch and took the pretzel bag and bottled water. "Thanks, Jenny."

"I'll see you in the morning, Kelly," Jen promised as she started to pack up her things for the night. Downstairs, Jen stopped by Gibbs' desk and said, "Kelly's grabbing a snack and some sleep in my office. And you should call her friend—"

"Maddie," Gibbs finished. "I will. Good night, Jen."

"Good night, Jethro," Jen replied, heading for the elevator door. When it opened she found Dr. Donald Mallard who was also leaving for the night. "Ducky. Good to see you again."

"And you," Ducky replied as the doors closed. "Congratulations."

"Thank you," Jen said with a smile. "So how have you been?"

"You mean other than today?" Ducky asked. "Well…"

-------------------

It seemed like Kelly had been asleep for hours but looking at the clock on the wall she saw that it had only been about an hour and a half. Leaving the office and heading downstairs she found Gerald—Ducky's former assistant—with McGee, Abby, and Gibbs.

"Dad?" Kelly asked, looking at her father's expression. "What's going on?"

"Ari has Ducky," McGee said, simply.

"Oh, God," Kelly sighed. "Can we just find the bastard and kill him? I'd like to go home at some point."

"We're working on it, Kel," Gibbs said, looking at her.

"Well, work harder," Kelly snapped as she crossed her arms. "I'm starting to feel like a prisoner here."

"I know," Gibbs sighed. "But until we get Ari I need you to stay here. I'm going to meet Tony at the Embassy Hotel."

"Um, Tony's at the Embesaro," Abby corrected, following Gibbs to the elevator.

"Then why did he say the Embassy?" Gibbs snapped.

"Cell phone garble?" Kelly suggested, a step behind Abby.

"All right, from now on, everyone is using phonetics like we did in the Corps," Gibbs ordered.

"Dad," Kelly said, stopping Gibbs before he hit the elevator button. When he looked at her, she said, "Say it. Please."

Gibbs met Kelly's eyes, dark brown and pleading. The old promise… the one he always told Shannon before he shipped out… "I will take care, Kelly," he promised, meaning it now more than ever. "I will come back safe."

Kelly felt tears in her eyes and she threw her arms around her father's neck. "I love you, Daddy."

"I love you, too, Kelly," Gibbs said, hugging her.

When she let go, Gibbs hit the down button on the elevator but as soon as the doors opened and he stepped in, he heard Abby say, "Um, Gulf-India-Bravo-Bravo-Sierra?" Stopping the doors before they closed he waited for Abby to go on. "Can I please go back to my lab? I'm flipping out up here with nothing to do."

"Okay," Gibbs conceded. "But don't leave—"

"Don't leave the building. I know," Abby replied. As the doors closed, she said, "Bravo-Yankee-Echo."

Kelly looked at the others and while she wanted to go with Abby, she also felt the sleep debt pulling at her. And while Jen's couch was tempting, Kelly didn't want to be alone.

As if sensing Kelly's struggle, Abby smiled and said, "Come on. You can sleep and I'll work on finding the bastard who killed Kate."

Kelly nodded. "Deal."

---------------------------

It was almost 1 in the morning when Gibbs finally returned to the squad room with Jen. The rain had let up for the time being and as the team gathered in the squad room, Kelly felt relieved that it was over.

When she finally got back to the apartment, Kelly went straight to the fridge and found the leftover Italian take out from a few days ago. Pulling it out, she piled some of everything on a plate and put it into the microwave before grabbing a soda.

"Everything okay?" Maddie asked, coming into the kitchen and hopping up to sit on the counter.

"I'm hungry, tired, and…" Kelly sighed. "Kate's funeral is tomorrow." When the microwave dinged, Kelly grabbed a fork and pulled the hot plate out and set it on the counter and started eating. "I plan on eating, sleeping like the dead, and then getting up and going back to NCIS."

Maddie hopped off the counter and said, "Give your dad my condolences. And, hey." Waiting until Kelly looked up, Maddie added, "You sure you're okay?"

"Fine," Kelly insisted. "Go back to bed. Sorry I woke you."

Maddie left the room and as Kelly continued eating, she couldn't shake the feeling in her gut that something was still off.

----------

The rain started up again the next morning and Kelly slept almost until noon when Maddie knocked on her bedroom door.

"There's coffee on the counter," Maddie said to a groggy Kelly. "I've got class. You going to be okay?"

"Mmm-hmm," Kelly mumbled into her pillow. After a few minutes she heard the apartment door close and Maddie's car pull out of the drive.

"You know, Gibbs never sleeps in," Kate's voice said, bringing Kelly more awake.

"Dad's used to little sleep," Kelly yawned as she got up and went to the kitchen. Imagining Kate sitting at the kitchen table, she asked, "Why you, Kate? You were… You were my favorite. I wanted to be you."

"Sometimes bad things happen," Kate replied. "Nothing you can do to stop it."

"I miss you, Kate," Kellie said, pouring a cup of coffee and adding cream and sugar.

"And I'm going to miss you, Kelly," Kate said, quietly. "Wear that purple outfit. You look great in that."

Kelly sat down at the table at the chair Kate's ghost had occupied and before she took a sip of coffee, she started crying.

----------

Indiana was bright and sunny as Kelly stood with Jen and the others, waiting for her father to show. As she walked up to Kate's coffin, Kelly remembered what she'd told Kate soon after the former Secret Service agent had joined NCIS. _"Keep him safe, Agent Todd. He's all I have." _Laying a rose on top of the coffin, Kelly said, quietly. "Thanks for saving him, Kate."

As Kelly stepped away from the burial site, she smiled as she saw her father coming up dressed in a black suit, a black strip across his NCIS badge. As Tony, McGee, Ducky, Jen, and Abby joined the two Gibbses, Jethro looped one arm with Kelly's and the other with Jen's, Abby walking next to them, a black parasol in one hand and a tape player in the other which was playing a jubilant jazz song.

As the NCIS team headed back home, Kelly wondered if life would ever be what it should have been.


	2. Honor Code

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Since this was the episode that inspired the story series, I decided to do this one next. Chapter 3 will be based on the season 3 finale, 'Hiatus'. I'm trying to find Kelly's groove so to speak, so thoughts are welcome. And if there are any episodes you think would be good to use, let me know. I have a list, but I'm open to suggestions.

Chapter 2

* * *

_**Honor Code**_

Finishing her last paper for her classes, Kelly stood from Abby's desk and saved the file before closing her laptop and putting it away.

"Can I get you anything, Miss Gibbs?" Charles Sterling—Abby's new assistant—asked as he stood in the doorway.

"No, Charles, I'm good," Kelly replied, grabbing her computer bag. "I'm just going to grab a cup of coffee." Passing by the assistant, she smacked him lightly on the back of the head. "And I told you to call me Kelly."

"Yes, ma'am. I mean, Kelly," Chip replied, rubbing the back of his head. Turning to Abby who was smirking, he asked, "Does she always have to do that?"

"It's something she picked up from her father," Abby explained. "Might as well get used to it."

-------

Up in the squad room, Kelly caught the smells of Grayson's Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches. "It takes an hour to pick up lunch, Tim?" she asked, setting her bag down by her father's desk and grabbing her extra meat, cheese and mushrooms, no onions or peppers off the tray.

"While we were out, Ziva asked me to show her the best routes to work," McGee replied, handing Tony his sandwich and coffee. "You know, her driving has gotten a lot better? Barely broke any laws this time."

After Kate Todd's death, Kelly had been hurt that Ziva David was working with NCIS. Abby hadn't quite warmed up to the Israeli yet but Kelly knew it was because Kate and Abby had been close friends. Still, Kelly wasn't quite ready to let Ziva in and the idea of Tim being buddies with her was irritating.

Tony looked puzzled as he stood, looking at McGee. "Let me get this straight. Ziva asked you, who can barely navigate the Navy Yard, to show her the best way to work?"

"That's right," McGee said, smirking.

"Well, what about me?" Tony said, feeling hurt. "I know every shortcut in the metro area."

"Only because I told you about 'em," Kelly said around a mouthful of steak and bread.

"Wait, wait," McGee said, smiling as he looked at Kelly. "You told Tony how to get around the Navy Yard?"

"Duh!" Kelly said, rolling her eyes as she swallowed. "I've only been hanging around the area since I was 9! When he first started, you wouldn't believe how often Tony got lost."

"Well… in that case, next lunch run, _you_ can go with Ziva," Tony replied, laughing, as he sat down at his own desk.

"Scared to drive with me again, Tony?" Ziva said, making the senior agent jump.

"I told you not to do that again," Tony said, sitting down and glaring at his new partner.

"Sorry," Ziva apologized with a smile, taking her own sandwich and coffee. "Just keeping you on your toes."

"Gear up," Gibbs said, marching into the squad room. "We have a missing person. Coleman Park Carousel in Arlington."

"A child?" Ziva asked, grabbing her bag and heading for the elevator.

"Father," Gibbs clarified, grabbing his badge and weapon. "Lieutenant Commander Alex Tanner. Disappeared an hour ago."

"Do you always respond to missing persons cases so promptly?" Ziva asked, still a bit unsure as far as NCIS policy.

"Special circumstances, Ziva," Gibbs explained. "His 6-year-old son called NCIS. He's in the park right now, alone, waiting for us."

"Mmm," Kelly said, grabbing one last bite of her sandwich before standing. "I'm coming, too."

Gibbs hesitated for a second then shrugged. "Fine by me. Leave your computer there."

"Yes, sir," Kelly beamed, grabbing her jacket and pulling her hair into a ponytail as she followed the rest of the team onto the elevator. "Can I drive?"

Gibbs grinned and tossed her the keys. As McGee and Tony looked at him he shrugged. "She's never driven the truck before."

"Boss, you ever thought of saying 'no' once in a while?" Tony asked, frowning at Gibbs.

"You want to walk to Arlington, DiNozzo?" Kelly asked, giving Tony a long stare.

"No, ma'am," Tony said, quietly as he looked down at his shoes.

----------------

The young boy was sitting by the carousel and Kelly could tell that he'd been there for a while. Walking up and sitting next to him, she said, "Hi. I'm Kelly. What's your name?"

"Zach," The kid replied, looking at the young woman before turning to the rest of the team. "You're NCIS?"

"Yeah," Kelly replied. "That's Tony, Tim, Ziva, and the older guy is my dad."

Gibbs held out a hand and Zach shook it. "Zach, I'm Gibbs. Want to tell us what happened?"

"I was on the carousel," Zach said, looking at Gibbs. "I was watching my dad when these guys came up to him. I think they kidnapped my dad."

"Okay," Kelly said. "What did they look like?"

"One had a military haircut," Zach replied. "One had a shaved head."

"How old were they?" Kelly asked. "Young like me?" Looking at her father she asked, "Or older like him?"

"About your age," Zach said, looking at Tony. "And they had dark glasses."

"Anything else?" Kelly asked.

"They had iPods, too," Zach added. "But they were only listening in one ear. Like this." He put one of the earbud headphones in to demonstrate.

"Okay," Kelly replied, standing up. "Tell you what. Why don't you and I take a walk while Dad and the others do a little detective work and talk shop?"

Zach nodded and grabbed his backpack, following Kelly a short ways away. "Are you NCIS, too?" Zach asked.

"No," Kelly laughed. "Well… not yet. I'm still in school." Looking at the kid, she asked, "So where's your mom?"

"She died when I was 2," Zach replied. "No grandparents either."

"Aunts or uncles?" Kelly asked as she went to a pop machine and bought two sodas.

Zach took one of the cans and shook his head. "It's just me and Dad."

"I know how that is," Kelly nodded. "My mom died when I was 8."

"Dad tries to do stuff with me," Zach said, sipping his soda. "But he's working a lot. And Dad's bosses don't really like me hanging around."

"My Dad told his bosses that they better get used to me hanging around," Kelly said, really starting to like the kid. "So your dad is in the navy, huh?"

"Yours?" Zach asked, nodding.

"He's a Marine," Kelly replied. Looking over at her father, she said, "Come on, Zach. Let's get out of here and go find your dad, okay?"

"Okay," Zach agreed and the two headed back over.

-------

Once everyone was back with NCIS, Ziva stayed with Zach while the boy worked with the sketch artist, Tony and McGee went over the surveillance tapes and Kelly decided to work on homework for her classes at the only empty desk in the squad room. Feeling someone watching her, she looked up and found Zach standing next to the desk, looking curious.

"Whatcha working on?" Zach asked, looking at the laptop.

"Homework for my ethics class," Kelly replied, turning back to the computer. "Our instructor wants us to list 5 reasons why it's okay to be unethical in the police."

"Aren't the police supossed to be the good guys?" Zach asked, trying to understand the question.

"They are," Kelly agreed as she turned to look at Zach. "But let me ask you this. If you could stop someone really, really bad… but you had to hurt someone who wasn't so bad to do it… would you?"

Zach considered that for a moment before nodding. "Yeah."

"Why?" Kelly asked, amazed at how much Zach was like her father.

"If the bad guy is going to hurt a lot of people you gotta stop him," Zach explained. "Dad says there's a saying but I don't really remember it."

"The good of the many outweighs the good of the one," Kelly replied, smiling.

"Kelly? Can I ask you a question?" Zach asked, leaning on the desk.

"Fire away," Kelly replied, starting to type again.

"What's going to happen to me?" Zach asked and Kelly turned back to him again.

"Well… Probably someone from Social Services is going to take care of you for a while," Kelly replied. "They'll keep you out of trouble until we find your dad."

"Can't I stay with you or Agent Gibbs?" Zach asked, hopefully.

"Hey," Gibbs said, walking over and looking at the two. "What're the two of you up to?"

"Agent Gibbs, do I have to go with Social Services?" Zach asked.

"Just for a while, buddy," Gibbs nodded. "Come on."

"What if you don't find my dad, Agent Gibbs?"

"I'll find him Zach," Gibbs promised. "I'll find him."

"And I'll stop by tomorrow morning," Kelly said with a smile. "We'll go out for breakfast."

Kneeling down, Gibbs pulled out a card and said, "If you need me or even if you just want to talk… you call, okay?"

Zach nodded and when he'd gone with the woman from Social Services, Kelly asked, "Ever thought about having another kid, Dad?"

"No, thanks," Gibbs laughed. "You're all I need, Kelly."

"Really?" Kelly asked, doubtfully. "What about…?"

"What about what?" Gibbs asked as Kelly stood up.

"Nothing," Kelly said, spotting Zach's iPod on a desk. "Zach left his iPod."

"I'll take it over," Gibbs said, grabbing the music player.

"Let me," Kelly said, closing down her computer and packing it up. "It's on my way home. And I could use a walk."

"I'll drop you off," Gibbs compromised. "I've got to meet up with McGee and DiNozzo."

"Deal," Kelly agreed.

--

As they headed for the Social Services office, Gibbs' cell phone rang and hen he picked it up, he heard Zach's voice. "Hey, Zach. You calling about your pod thing you left on my desk?" In the passenger seat, Kelly rolled her eyes. But when she heard the panic in her father's voice, she straightened up. "Look, I'm a few blocks away from you. Just stay where you are."

"Dad, we're going to get stuck," Kelly insisted, undoing her seatbelt and opening the door.

"Zach, just—" Looking at his daughter, Gibbs said, "Kelly, where are you--?"

"Don't worry, Dad," Kelly insisted.

Turning back to the phone, Gibbs said, "Zach, Kelly's—" but the call had dropped. Cursing as he saw Kelly running down the street, Gibbs tried to move forward but the streetlight changed and he was stuck.

--

Kelly hurried down the sidewalk as she caught sight of Zach Tanner and just as she started towards the kid, she felt someone grab her from behind and clap a hand over her mouth. Trying to scream, she started struggling and kicking, trying to get out of the man's grip as he pulled her away.

"Kelly!"

Like some bizarre twist on a movie, Zach came running to save her, kicking the man in the ankle and Kelly pulled her right arm free and rammed her elbow as hard as she could into the man's side before turning and kneeing him in the groin with as much force as she could muster.

Hearing gunfire, Kelly started running, but she tripped and fell to the ground hard. Rolling onto her back, she saw her father shoot the bald-headed man in the shoulder before he managed to get away in a black SUV.

"Zach, you okay?" Kelly asked, breathing hard.

"Are _you_ okay?' Gibbs asked, helping Kelly to her feet. There was a cut on her forehead above her left eyebrow and the heels of her hands were bloody.

"Just a few scrapes," Kelly insisted as she limped towards her father's car.

"Yeah, well, Ducky's checking you out when we get back to NCIS," Gibbs insisted as he helped his daughter into the car. "Did either of you happen to see the car's license plate?"

Zach shook his head. "I don't remember."

"I was a little busy trying to avoid being kidnapped, Dad," Kelly added.

-------

After insisting she could make it down to Autopsy without an escort, Kelly left her father and Zach in the squad room and once in the elevator, she smacked the back of her head. She should have stayed in the car! Sighing as the doors opened, she limped out, seeing Ducky coming out of the morgue.

"Good heavens!" Ducky exclaimed as he hurried forward to take Kelly's arm. "What happened?"

"Near kidnapping," Kelly said as she limped into Autopsy before sitting down in a chair.

Looking over the young woman, Ducky said, "Superficial laceration to the forehead… scraped palms…" Looking at Kelly, he said, "I'll assume Jethro wants a thorough examination."

Kelly nodded and kicked off her shoes before going to the autopsy table and pulling off her jeans, wincing as she pulled her shirt off so she was just wearing her panties and tank-top. After sitting on the table, she said, "I don't think anything's broken, Ducky."

Ducky gave her a wry smile. "Well, be that as it may, Jethro would never forgive me if I missed anything. Now… Let's get these scrapes cleaned up first. And you may need a stitch or two on that cut…"

"Oh, my God!" Abby said as she came into the room. "Oh, my God! Kelly!"

"I'm okay, Ab—Ow!" Kelly let out a cry of pain as Abby hugged her.

"I'm sorry!" Abby cried. "What happened?"

"Zack called Dad," Kelly replied. "Zach left the social worker's office—Ow!"

Ducky looked at Kelly and frowned. "I'll need an x-ray of your left hand and wrist."

"Okay, well the other hand is fine," Kelly said, waving her right hand. Turning back to Abby, she went on. "Zach saw one of the guys who took his father. Took off after him. Dad was going to get caught in traffic and I jumped out of the car and took off. Couple of guys tried to grab me and Zach. Then Dad showed up and I fell trying to get out of the line of fire when everyone started shooting."

"Well, I'd say you were exceptionally fortunate," Ducky said as he started to clean Kelly's scraped knees and hands and the head laceration. "You could be here for another reason."

----

Walking up to where Jen was waiting, Gibbs noticed the concerned look in her eyes. "How's Kelly?" the NCIS director asked.

"A bit scraped up," Gibbs replied. "Ducky's taking care of her. You didn't call me up here to check on Kelly, did you, Jen?"

"What do we know?" Jen asked.

"Ziva's checking on the two kidnappers, DiNozzo's looking for the license plate of the SUV and McGee's helping Abby," Gibbs said, quickly.

"Project Honor being compromised could cripple our intelligence networks," Jen said, seriously. "NSA, FBI, Homeland Security all want jurisdiction. I told them I had my best agent on it." Giving Gibbs a pointed look, she said, "It's possible this wasn't a kidnapping, Jethro."

"I don't buy it," Gibbs said. "Doesn't feel right."

Jen sighed, not wanting to bring up Ari, but… "It doesn't have to feel right to be right, Jethro."

----

After getting three stitches and her left wrist wrapped up, Kelly felt better but she still ached as she headed to the break room and got herself a cup of coffee. Sitting down she started to wonder if she was really ready to be an NCIS agent. She wasn't used to all this. She wanted to be involved on cases but…

"Are you alright?" Ziva asked as she sat down opposite Kelly.

"Fine," Kelly said, shortly.

Ziva sighed and asked, "May I ask why you don't like me? Is it because I took Kate's place or—"

"You know Dad's been married 3 times?" Kelly said, sipping her coffee. "Plenty of girlfriends and lovers… Jenny Shepard was the first of Dad's girlfriends I felt close to. Then she left… Then Kate started at NCIS. We were close." Sniffling a bit, she said, "Then she was gone."

"I know you, McGee, Tony… You all cared about Kate," Ziva replied. "And I don't want to take her place. But I am not going anywhere."

"Abby's always been like a sister," Kelly went on. "Tony's been the protective older brother. Tim, too. But Kate… There was something about her that reminded me of Mom. The way she looked out for me… Kate always took my side when I fought with Dad."

"I lost my little sister Tali in a Hamas suicide bombing," Ziva said, quietly. "She'd be 25 today. She had compassion… She wanted to be just like me but… That wasn't the life I knew she was meant for. I see a lot of Tali in you." Putting a hand on Kelly's, Ziva said, "I don't want to take Kate's place. But if you let me I can be your friend."

"I'm sorry for super-gluing your desk drawers last week," Kelly said, looking abashed.

"You did that?" Ziva asked, shocked. "I thought it was Tony." Looking slightly apprehensive, she said, "If I'd have known I would not have retaliated."

"If he gets you back," Kelly promised. "I promise to help you get him."

-------------

Back in the squad room, Kelly found her dad and Zach getting ready to leave. "You guys going home?"

"I'm taking Zach to the house," Gibbs nodded, locking up his weapon. "You want to come with us?"

Kelly shook her head. "I have to get home. Maddie and I are doing pizza and movies and I plan on taking a couple pain killers and sleeping till noon." Smiling she added, "But I appreciate the offer, Dad."

"Well, you know where to find us if you change your mind," Gibbs said as he and Zach headed for the elevator.

----------------------------

Late that night, Kelly was drinking her third beer when Maddie asked, "You ever wonder what it would be like if your dad remarried again?"

Kelly laughed at that and shook her head. "Nope. Dad's done trying to find someone. Yeah, when I was younger he wanted to find someone so I could have a mom… Then when I started growing up, but… No, I don't think he will."

"What about that new director?" Maddie asked as she grabbed the last piece of cold pizza. "I thought you liked her."

"I do," Kelly insisted. "But… I don't know. It'd be weird having a mom again." Downing the rest of her beer she said, "Look, I don't want to talk about it, okay?"

"Okay," Maddie agreed, holding up two DVDs. "But one question: _Care Bears_ or _An American Tail_?"

Kelly pointed and laughed. "I can't believe we're in our 20's, it's almost 1 in the morning and we're watching cartoons."

"Remember when we slept at your house and watched the _My Little Pony Movie_ 12 hours straight?" Maddie said, laughing. "Your dad was about to go crazy."

"Then Mom told us we had to go to bed," Kelly said, sadly. "If we didn't she was going to throw the tape in the garbage. That was right before…"

Maddie pulled her best friend into a hug. "You only cried once."

"I couldn't…" Kelly said, holding onto her friend and crying. "I miss her, Maddie."

"At least you still have your Dad," Maddie said, as Kelly pulled away, wiping her eyes.

"Yeah," Kelly admitted. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost him." Sniffling, she said, "Put on the movie before I fall apart, will you?"

-------------------

A few days later, Kelly stopped by her old house and not even bothering to knock, she went in and headed for the basement. Looking down at her father, she remembered being 10 years old, sanding the frame of a boat with her father. He wore his old Marine jacket and she had on one of his NIS shirts. Those had been good times.

"You gonna come down and help or are you just going to stand there?" Gibbs asked, looking up and grinning.

Kelly came down and looked around. "Where's Zach?"

"Home with his father," Gibbs replied as Kelly shed her jacket and grabbed a sander. "How are you doing?"

"Other than the sprained wrist I'm good, Dad," Kelly replied. "You? I know you liked Zach."

"He's a good kid," Gibbs admitted.

"He's just like you."

"So everyone has said," Gibbs muttered as he and his daughter worked on the boat. "You coming for dinner Sunday night?" Catching Kelly's eye, he said, "I miss you."

"You want me to move back in?" Kelly asked, stopping and eyeing Gibbs.

"I just miss seeing you all the time. You've got your own life and…" Smirking, he added, "Sometimes I wonder if you're trying to avoid your old man."

Kelly threw the sander, purposely missing. "I can never avoid you, Dad."

"No, but you can sure avoid work," Gibbs countered, retrieving the sander and tossing it back. "Come on. We've gotta get this finished at some point."


	3. Hiatus

AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is one of those odd chapters where the ending actually came to me first and I had to lead up to it. I really tried to put as much emotion as I could so and I hope this chapter works well. There are some details I tweaked and I may have messed with the timeline somewhat. But hopefully it all makes sense.

Remember to read, review, and show your love!

Chapter 3

* * *

_**Hiatus**_

Coming back from a long night ofclubbing, Kelly had just sat down to check her emails on her laptop when the phone rang. Since Maddie had a late class, Kelly knew it had to be her father checking up on her. Picking up the phone, she said, brightly, "Hi, Dad."

"Kelly, it's Tony."

Tony's tone was the first sign something was wrong and Kelly's stomach started turning. "Tony, what's wrong?"

"You need to get to Portsmouth Naval Hospital," Tony said, simply. "Now."

"I-I'll be there in 10 minutes," Kelly replied. "What is it?"

"Abby and Director Shepard will be there shortly. I'll tell them to wait for you," Tony went on before hanging up.

Kelly turned the phone off and grabbed her purse and car keys before driving as fast as she could to the hospital, her mind racing back to the last time her father had been…

It was a month after her mother's death and Kelly had been going in for surgery again for her leg. When she'd woken up, she'd found out her father had crashed his car and was in a coma for almost 3 weeks.

Pulling into the hospital, she almost missed Jenny's car pulling in next to hers. Jumping out of the car, Kelly said, "Is he… Is he…?"

"Kelly…" Jenny said, touching Kelly's arm. "I just got here, too. I don't know anything yet."

"But Dad never goes to a hospital. He hates hospitals. Ever since Mom died. And if he's actually here then… then he's got to be near death and… And he can't die, Jen. He's all I have," Kelly said, crying. "He can't die, Jen," she sobbed, hugging Jenny. "He can't. He promised he'd never leave me again and Dad never breaks a promise to me."

Hugging Kelly, Jenny spotted Abby Scuito getting out of a cab and she hurried over to the two women. "Any news? Is Gibbs okay? My hearse got a flat tire and--" Breaking off when she saw Kelly, Abby said, "Oh, God. It's bad isn't it?"

"We don't know that yet, Abby," Jenny insisted. "Let's go in there and we'll find out what's going on." Looking at Kelly, she said, "Okay?"

Kelly nodded. "Okay." Taking a deep breath, she followed Jenny and Abby into the trauma center. As she watched Jenny argue with the head nurse, Kelly felt a growing anger as the woman refused to let them in. Finally, she stormed over to the woman and said, "Okay, look." Both Abby and Jenny looked surprised at Kelly's outburst but as the young woman spoke they could also see that Gibbs daughter was just as strong-willed as he was. "My father is all the blood family I have left. My mom died when I was 8, my grandparents are gone and I have no aunts or uncles. I don't care about your rules! Because the number one rule my dad taught me is that a family has to stick together in a crisis! Now let me in the damn doors!"

After a moment, the nurse, Ethel Washington, pushed the button to unlock the doors.

Kelly ran though while Jenny strode quickly after her. Putting a hand on the nurse's hand, Abby said, "You're a really, really good person."

Ethel nodded and gave the goth forensic scientist a smile before going back to her work. _'And it's not even a full moon,'_ she thought, wryly.

-------------

When she finally saw her father coming out of radiology, Kelly about broke down again. He was intubated and his head was bandaged. His face was covered in scrapes, burns, and cuts… Walking beside the gurney as the orderlies took him to ICU, Kelly took her father's hand and said a silent prayer. Stopping outside the ICU room, Kelly felt Jenny put an arm around her and Abby put a hand on the young woman's back.

One of the doctors came out of the room and said, "He's got a concussion but he should be fine."

Kelly nodded, not trusting herself to speak. All she could think about was her father lying there, unconscious…

Turning, Kelly ran down the hall, wanting to be anywhere but here. Praying that her father would be okay but knowing that he might not be. Stopping by a fire exit, Kelly sank to the floor, pulling her knees to her chest, crying. It was only when she heard footsteps that she looked up to see Jenny kneeling down next to her. "It was a little less than a month after Mom died," Kelly said, quietly. "The… The doctors had to do more surgery on my right leg. Dad was… He was angry… sad… He… he'd had some drinks… he crashed his car."

"Jethro never told me that," Jenny said, gently.

"Doesn't like to talk about it," Kelly mumbled. "He was in a coma for almost 3 weeks. It's just like now." Hugging Jenny, she said, "I'm scared. What if Dad…?"

"Jethro will be fine," Jenny insisted. When Kelly looked doubtful, Jenny smirked. "Gibbs isn't allowed to die while I'm Director of NCIS."

"You know Dad doesn't like people telling him what to do," Kelly said, quietly.

"He'll listen to me, Kelly." Hugging the daughter of one of the best NCIS agent she's ever known, Jenny hoped and prayed Gibbs would be fine. If he wasn't, it would be a loss even more devastating than Kate Todd's death.

-------------

While Jenny called for a sit-rep the next morning, Kelly sat next to her father's bed, holding his hand. "You promised, Daddy," Kelly whispered. "Now, come on. Wake up. Please?" What dreams was her father trapped in? What was playing in his mind while he lay there, helpless? The expression on his face was more anguish than pain and she wondered what horrors he was reliving.

Later that afternoon, Tony came by and as he pulled Kelly into a hug, he asked, "How's the boss?"

"Still out," Kelly said, hugging Tony back. "I keep… I keep hoping he'll wake up and… I can't help but wonder what's going through his mind."

"If there's anything I can do…" Tony said, wishing he could think of something… anything to help the woman he considered his little sister.

"Coffee?" Kelly asked, hopefully. She hadn't had any in so long…

"One hot cup of coffee coming up," Tony promised. "Black or cream and sugar?"

Kelly usually couldn't stand black coffee but for some reason she replied, "Black."

When Tony left, Kelly sat down again, taking her father's hand. "Daddy? It's Kelly. Come on, Dad."

-

"_Come on, Daddy!" a 7-year-old Kelly said, as she rode her horse down the beach with her parents on horseback behind her. "I wanna gallop!"_

"_No, Kelly," Shannon said, frowning a bit._

"_Ah, let her go, Shannon," Jethro said, smiling as he saw his little girl ride on ahead._

"_Jethro!" Shannon shouted. "Will you ever learn to say no?"_

"_No," Jethro said, grinning._

-------------

"Miss Gibbs?"

Kelly looked up from her chair to see the chief neurologist standing there. Stretching, she asked, "How's my dad?"

"Was your father a Marine?" The doctor asked, curiously.

Kelly nodded as she stood. "Yeah. Why?"

"Wounded in Desert Storm?" the doctor asked.

Kelly nodded. "Right… right after my mom died. Dad was… caught in a bomb blast in Kuwait. He was pretty banged up." Shaking her head she asked, "Why? What does any of that have to do with last night?"

"I treated him when he was in the bomb blast," the doctor said. After a moment he shook his head. "I'm sorry. I'm Dr. Todd Gelfand."

Kelly nodded and said, "Is he going to be okay?"

"I certainly hope so, Dr. Gelfand replied. "But head injuries are unpredictable. There's no way to tell when he'll come out of it."

"If he does at all," Kelly finished. "Right?"

"Just try to be optimistic," Gelfand said, gently. "Gibbs was tough back then. I'm sure he's just as tough now."

Kelly nodded. "It's just… I've seen that look on my dad's face, Dr," She said, sitting down again. "And I can't help but wonder… if…"

"If what?"

Kelly sighed. "Maybe Dad… doesn't _want_ to wake up. He doesn't want to… to remember that Mom died…"

"We'll redo the neurological tests," Gelfand promised. Putting a hand on Kelly's shoulder, he promised, "We'll figure it out."

"I just want him to wake up," Kelly muttered, watching the machines.

-------------

Going down to the break room of the hospital, Jenny found Kelly sipping a cup of coffee and looking out at the rain.

"How's Jethro?" Jenny asked, sitting opposite the younger woman.

"Still in a coma," Kelly replied. "The… the tests are all normal, but… he's not waking up."

"You said Jethro was in a car crash," Jenny prompted.

Kelly nodded. "It was the same as now. Everything was normal, but… he wouldn't wake up."

"Jethro never talks about Shannon," Jenny prompted again.

"Mom was… his first and only real love," Kelly nodded. "It hit Dad really hard when she died. I always thought that was why he didn't want to wake up back in '91." Seeing Jenny's puzzled look, Kelly said, "Dad was reliving life with Mom."

---

"Well, Jethro," Ducky said as he pulled a chair closer to Gibbs' bed. "I would have been here sooner. But DiNozzo insisted I finish the autopsy on Agent Abog Galib. It's quite interesting, really. The poor man was literally blown from the barrel." After a moment, Ducky said, "Kelly has hardly gone home. The poor girl is worried about you. I know you have your demons, Jethro. But I also know that Kelly is the most important thing in your life. She needs you to wake up, Jethro."

"Ducky?" Kelly said as she came into the room and sat on her father's other side. "Any change?"

"No," Ducky replied, sadly. "But he hasn't gotten worse, so that's good news."

"I guess," Kelly admitted. Smiling, she said, "I remember when I turned 13… Dad and I had a fight and I told him I was going to run away and join the army."

"I must admit that I was always curious why you never followed in your father's footsteps," Ducky commented.

"Dad was afraid something would happen to me," Kelly replied. "He didn't want to lose me." Seeing Dr. Gelfand come into the room, Kelly stood and said, "No change, Dr." When Ducky stood as well, she said, "Uh, this is Dr.—"

"Dr. Mallard," Gelfand replied, shaking the medical examiner's hand. "Nurse Baliad told me your name and specialty. I'm—"

"Dr. Gelfand," Ducky replied. "The Director told me."

"Doctors?" Kelly said, looking up before leaning over her father as the machines started beeping faster. "Dad? Dad, can you hear me?"

But Gibbs' eyes suddenly opened and he started trying to sit up.

"It's okay!" Gelfand, said, reassuringly. "You're in a hospital."

"You're alright, Jethro," Ducky said. "Relax."

"Daddy?" Kelly said, taking his hand. "Dad, it's Kelly."

As he looked at her, Gibbs stopped fighting and relaxed.

"Okay," Gelfand said, once Gibbs had calmed down. "Can you blink?" When Gibbs did so the neurologist asked the agent to raise his thumb. "Okay. Do you want the tube out?"

Gibbs nodded and once the tube was out one of the nurses put a breathing mask on him. Looking at Kelly, he whispered, "Shannon?"

"No, Dad," Kelly said, shaking her head. "It's Kelly. You were in an explosion, remember?" Nodding to the doctors, she added, "That's Dr. Gelfand… Nurse Baliad, and you know Dr. Mallard."

"Ducky," Ducky replied. "Welcome back, Jethro. Yeah, we've all been a bit concerned. You shouldn't frighten us like that."

"Dad, what is it?" Kelly asked, seeing that her father was trying to say something.

"Where… am I?" Gibbs asked, looking around.

"Portsmouth Naval Trauma Center," Kelly replied. "It's okay, Dad."

"I… remember," Gibbs said, weakly.

"That's good. That's very good," Gelfand said with a smile. "Most people never remember the trauma."

But Kelly's smile faded when her father looked at Ducky with a confused look. "I-I don't know him."

"Dad…" Kelly said, looking at Ducky, then at her father. "You and Ducky are friends." After a few moments, she said, "You… you really don't remember him?" When her father shook his head, she tried to smile. "It's fine, Dad. Just… temporary memory loss." Seeing Gelfand and Ducky heading out of the room, Kelly sat down again as the nurse raised the bed some and switched the mask for a nasal cannula. "What's the last thing you remember, Dad? You said you remember the explosion?" When Gibbs nodded, she asked, "Where were you?"

"Kuwait," Gibbs replied. After a moment, he said, "Kelly?" Kelly nodded, smiling. "You… you're older…"

"I'm 24, Dad," Kelly replied. "It's 2007."

"What?" Gibbs asked, confused. "2000…?"

"Seven," Kelly finished. "You remember Maddie Tyler? She and I share an apartment. She goes to Georgetown University and I'm doing law enforcement courses over the internet. She's going into veterinary medicine and I'm going into forensic science."

"You look so much like Shannon," Gibbs said, as Kelly's hair caught the sunlight making it more red than brown.

Kelly tucked her hair behind her ears with a smile. "You say that a lot. Do you remember when Maddie and I played that _My Little Pony_ tape for—?"

"12 hours," Gibbs finished with a nod. "Your mom threatened to throw the tape away."

Kelly smiled and nodded. "Yeah." Taking her father's hand, she said, "I know you don't remember… But it'll come back."

----------

"Did Gibbs ever talk to you about Shannon's death?" Jenny asked when Ducky came into her office later that day.

"No, I'm afraid not," Ducky admitted. "Jethro never talks about her murder… Kelly doesn't like to talk about it, either, now that you mention it."

"Shannon witnessed the shooting of a Marine in Oceanside," Jenny said, as she went over what she'd been able to find out. "She identified the killer as Pedro Hernandez—A Mexican drug dealer working Camp Pendleton." Pulling up the crime scene photos she went on. "An NIS agent was assigned to protect her. A sniper shot him in the head while he was driving Shannon's van. Shannon was killed in the crash and Kelly's right leg was broken in 5 places."

Ducky sighed. "I've seen Kelly's scars but she's never wanted to talk about it. All she ever told me was that she'd been in a car accident when she was 8-years-old."

"I always wondered why Jethro had a particular taste for redheads," Jenny mused. "Now I know."

"It certainly makes sense also why Kelly and Jethro are so close," Ducky added.

"Yeah," Jenny murmured, looking at a picture of Shannon Gibbs.

-------------

Back at the hospital, Kelly had turned on the TV and was actually surprised when her father started watching as well. "For a guy who hates television…" Kelly said, quietly.

"We're still in Iraq?" Gibbs asked, surprised.

"Yeah," Kelly nodded. "We finally got a clue and realized that the terrorists want us dead. It's been hard, but…we're finally making progress." Looking at her father, she said, "Jenny said she'd come by tomorrow."

"Jenny?" Gibbs asked, confused. "Did… Did I remarry?"

"Twice," Kelly replied with a slight frown. "Stephanie was okay… Diane hated me. She took you to the cleaners in the divorce."

"So Jenny's wife number four?" Gibbs deduced.

Kelly laughed at that. "No! No, the two of you were… you were partners at NCIS."

"NCIS?" Gibbs asked.

"It used to just be the Naval Investigative Service," Kelly explained. "Then they changed it to—"

"Naval Criminal Investigative Service," Gibbs replied. "Right?" Seeing Kelly's nod, he asked, "So what about you? Boyfriends?"

Kelly laughed, shaking her head. "When I'm not working on school stuff I'm over at NCIS with you."

"You're an agent?"

Kelly laughed again. "No, Dad. I… I usually come by to see you. Although you've let me help on cases before."

"I just can't believe you're grown up, Kelly," Gibbs said, lying back in the hospital bed.

"Don't feel bad, Daddy," Kelly replied. "The years seemed to fly by for me, too."

After studying his daughter for a while, Gibbs said, "Go home. Get some sleep. You look like hell."

'Thanks, Dad," Kelly said, pretending to be annoyed. "I don't want to leave you."

"I'll be fine," Gibbs insisted. "Go home. I'll still be here in the morning."

"Okay, Dad," Kelly agreed, standing up and kissing her father's unburned cheek before leaving the room.

-------------

Stopping by NCIS before going home, Kelly wasn't really surprised to find the team in the squad room still working.

"How's Gibbs?" McGee asked when he saw Kelly coming in.

"I don't know," Kelly admitted as she sat at her father's desk. "He remembers visiting Mom's grave, but… What do we know about the guy who did this?"

"You sure you should be in the middle of this?" Tony asked, looking concerned.

"No, I should probably go home but I need to know what's going on or I'm going to go crazy," Kelly replied.

"We know the freighter's radio man, Pinpin Pula is a terrorist," Ziva supplied. "We know that somehow NCIS Agent Abog Galib was sitting in an oil drum when the bomb went off."

"No one climbs into an oil drum and sits on a bomb," Kelly said in a tired voice. "There's got to be more to it."

"We're working on it, boss," McGee said, quickly, earning looks from Kelly and Tony. "Uh, I mean, Kelly."

"I'm not Dad," Kelly insisted. "Right now I'm tired and I just want Dad to remember." Standing up, she headed for the elevator and punched the 'down' button.

----------------

Early the next morning, Jenny headed for the hospital and when she entered Gibbs' room, she noticed that someone—Gibbs himself, maybe?—had given him a shave, making his hair look more like she'd seen it in pictures of Gibbs' days as a Marine. He was asleep, but as Jenny slowly reached down and took his hand, Gibbs slowly opened his eyes. "Jethro?"

"Shannon?" Gibbs asked in a barely audible whisper.

"No, Jethro," Jenny said with a smile. "It's me. Jenny."

Gibbs felt disappointed as he said, "I thought you were someone else." Sitting up and looking around, he asked, "Where's Kelly?"

"She'll be here soon," Jenny assured him.

"So you and I… were partners?" Gibbs asked and somewhere in his scattered memory he seemed to recall being with this woman—Jenny?—in a bedroom in Paris.

"You remember?" Jenny asked, hopefully.

Gibbs shrugged. "Maybe. Kelly… told me last night. You're the Director of NCIS… right?"

"Right," Jenny confirmed, pulling a picture from the folder she'd brought with her she gave it to Gibbs. "Do you recognize this man?"

Gibbs sat up more and nodded. Flashes of inside a ship… a passport that wasn't right… "I-it's like a name on the tip of my tongue and I can't remember."

"Jethro…" Jenny said, not wanting him to overexert himself.

"It's important, right?" Gibbs asked, quickly. "It's life or death."

"Jethro, calm down, or you won't remember," Jenny said, calmly.

"Give me a name," Gibbs asked. Who was this man? Why did he…?"

"Pinpin Pula," Jenny replied.

"No, that's not his name," Gibbs protested, the flashes of memory too fragmented to fit together. "That can't be his name."

"Are you sure?" Jenny asked, starting to be confused. What was locked in Gibbs' mind?

"No, I'm _not_ sure!" Gibbs shouted, angrily as he ripped up the photo. "I can't remember! How can I be sure?!"

"Jethro, calm down," Jenny insisted as Gibbs' heart rate started climbing.

"What happened?" Gelfand asked as he hurried into the room.

"It's my fault," Jenny said, apologetically.

"Agent Gibbs, you need to relax,' Gelfand insisted after ordering 10 mgs of morphine.

"I'm not Agent Gibbs!" Gibbs shouted, anger and frustration in his voice. "I don't _know_ Agent Gibbs! I don't _want_ to know Agent Gibbs!" As Gelfand administered the morphine, Gibbs said, "I want my family! I want Shannon!" As the drugs started kicking in, he added, "I want… Kelly…"

"I'm here, Dad," Kelly said, hurrying into the room and pushing Jenny aside. "I'm here, it's okay." Sitting on the side of the bed, she ran her fingers lightly through her father's hair. "It's Kelly, Dad. I'm here. It's okay." As Gibbs looked groggily at her, she took his hand. "I'm right here, Daddy. I'm not going anywhere."

"Kelly…" Gibbs whispered as he sat up and hugged his daughter tightly.

"I'm right here, Dad," Kelly whispered. "It's okay… It's okay…" Holding her father, Kelly felt her eyes burning with tears as her father held on to her, crying.

--

When Gibbs started to fall back into a restless sleep, Kelly moved from the side of the bed to a chair. Jenny had gone and Kelly wondered what she'd said or done to get Gibbs so agitated. Eventually falling asleep herself, Kelly only woke when bright sunlight filled the room the next morning.

Raising her head and rubbing a knot that had formed in her neck, Kelly noticed that her father was still watching TV but with the sound turned off. "You won't learn anything with the thing on mute."

"It's nothing new," Gibbs shrugged. "Same war, same crime, same politics."

"What about the Terminator as governor of California?" Kelly asked, standing and stretching. Pausing, her brow furrowed as she asked, "Although wasn't there an actor who was president?"

"Reagan," Gibbs replied, nodding.

"Hello, Probie."

Kelly looked up when she heard the gruff voice and saw Special Agent Mike Franks standing in the doorway. "Agent Franks," she said, surprised.

"You still hanging around, kid?" Franks asked, and there was a note of affection in his voice. "Last time I saw you, you were this little girl runnin' 'round in pigtails pretendin' to be an NIS agent."

"I guess I grew up," Kelly said with a smile as she went to hug her father's old boss.

Franks gave her a smile before turning to Gibbs who had gotten out of bed. "Damn! You got old, Marine!"

"You looked in the mirror, lately?" Gibbs asked, smirking slightly.

Kelly laughed and said, "I'm going to let you grumpy old men catch up." Leaving the room, she headed for the cafeteria and grabbed a cup of coffee. She knew her father would be fine with Franks but something was telling her she should stay close just in case…

--

"I can't believe it's been 15 years," Gibbs said as he got back in bed. "And Shannon… It feels like I just got the news a couple months ago. And Kelly…" Looking up at Franks, he said, "You investigated Shannon's murder. Camp Pendleton. You were the Special Agent in Charge. I became an agent because of you." Flashes of memory came up and Gibbs smiled. "You were like an uncle to Kelly." Frowning he added, "I remember, you left the sniper folder on your desk so I could—"

Franks cleared his throat and when Gibbs looked he saw Kelly coming back down the hall. "So I could join NIS."

"They changed the name to NCIS back in '92," Franks supplied as Kelly came back holding a cup of coffee.

"We investigated crime scenes," Gibbs remembered.

"_I_ investigated crime scenes," Franks said, smirking. "_You_ schlepped."

"So where'd you retire to, Agent Franks?" Kelly asked, sitting on the left side of the bed.

"Do I still look like an agent?" Franks grumbled. "I flew in from Mexico, if you really want to know," he added, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it.

"It's illegal to smoke in any public building, you know," Kelly admonished.

"Another reason to live in Mexico," Franks muttered, dropping the cigarette into the water cup Gibbs held out. "World's changed."

"An understatement," Kelly added, quietly.

"We're still fighting in Iraq," Gibbs said, confused. "How is that different?"

"Because of _why_ we're there," Kelly replied, gravely.

"Why _are_ we still there?" Gibbs asked, both angry and curious. And at the same time there was a part of him that didn't want to know.

"September 11, 2001," Kelly said, her voice catching slightly. "Al Queada hijacked four airliners."

Gibbs didn't want to hear the rest but the looks on Kelly's and Franks' faces told him he needed to.

"Two flew into the Twin Towers," Franks said, solemnly. "One hit the Pentagon."

"The third was to take out the White House," Kelly finished. "Some of the passengers fought back and… And the plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania."

"3,000-some dead," Franks reported. "Nearly as many wounded."

Gibbs bolted from the bed and into the bathroom where Kelly could hear her father throwing up. When he came back he said, angrily, "Tell me we didn't just throw a couple of cruise missiles at them like Clinton did after the Khobar Towers."

"It's become a global war on terror," Kelly replied. "Bin Laden's still in the wind but we got Saddam last year."

Lying back in bed, Gibbs sighed. "This is…"

"Wrong?" Kelly supplied. "A lot of people think we should be out by now. That it's not our place to be over there."

Sitting up, Gibbs looked shocked. "What do they think will happen if we leave?"

"It's a whole different world, Dad," Kelly repeated.

"Why do you think I retired?" Franks asked. "World's gone crazy, Jethro. I built a little place south of El Rosario. I fish, drink beer, listen to old eight-track tapes. If the pick-up's running I'll go to a cantina if I want company. This is the first time I've been to El Norte in about 10 years."

Gibbs lay back again, his mind spinning with everything. Why couldn't it all just stop? Why couldn't everything be what it used to be?

--

When Gibbs said he wanted to be alone for a while, Franks and Kelly went outside where the retired agent could have a smoke. "It's a hell of a thing," he muttered, as he sat at one of the picnic tables.

Kelly shook her head. "No one's saying what happened exactly… But if Dad doesn't get his memory back, something terrible is going to happen."

"Ah, shit," Franks grumbled. "Hell…"

"What am I going to do?" Kelly asked. "I just…" Getting up and pacing, she said, "I just want Dad to remember. I want him to snap out of it."

"You know as well as I do that Jethro keeps his own schedule," Franks replied. "He'll remember when he's ready."

"But what if he remembers too late?" Kelly insisted. "What if this… this thing? Whatever is going to happen… What if Dad's the only one who can stop it?"

Franks took a long drag on his cigarette and said, "You're too young to be worrying like that. You'll be as gray as your father before you're 30."

"I just don't know what to do," Kelly repeated, sitting down.

"You'll figure it out," Franks said, knowingly. "You're just like Jethro." When Kelly scoffed, Franks gave her a look. "I know you've always thought you were like your mother… But the truth is that you're more like your old man. And that's a good thing. You won't quit. You'll dig your heels in and you'll be as stubborn as Jethro." Standing, he said, "I'll stick around for another day or two." Giving Kelly a smile, he said, "Good to see you again, kid."

----------

When Kelly got back to her father's room, she ran into Ziva who looked harried. "Ziva, what is it?" Kelly asked.

"I need to talk to Gibbs," Ziva said, quickly. "It's urgent."

"He won't remember you!" Kelly insisted. "I've tried to get him to remember. Jenny's tried! Ducky! Agent Franks! What can _you_ do that they can't?"

Ziva met Kelly's gaze and for a moment, Ziva could have sworn it was Leroy Jethro Gibbs giving her that long, hard stare. "Kelly, trust me."

Kelly stared for a few minutes but then she nodded. "Okay." Stepping aside, she followed Ziva into the room and lightly touched a sleeping Gibbs on the arm. When he woke, Kelly said, "Dad, this is Ziva David."

"We work together?" Gibbs asked as he sat up.

"Yes," Ziva said, quickly. "I'm a Mossad officer attached to your team."

"When did they start doing that?" Gibbs asked, wondering when the surprises would stop.

"It's been a year," Ziva replied.

Shrugging, Gibbs said, "Well, don't feel bad. I worked with that M.E.—"

"Ducky," Ziva replied. "10 years and you don't remember him either."

"You always finish other people's sentences?" Gibbs asked, slightly annoyed.

"Only when I'm in a hurry," Ziva said. "Abu Sayyaf is planning an attack on the Navy. It will be as bad as—"

"9/11," Kelly said, her stomach sinking.

"What can I do?" Gibbs asked, getting out of bed.

"Remember!" Ziva implored.

"I've been trying to ever since I woke up in this room!" Gibbs said, anger and frustration in his voice.

"Well, try harder!" Ziva snapped. When Gibbs gave her his usual stare, Ziva felt a strange sense of comfort. "Good. That's a start."

"What is?" Gibbs asked, confused.

"The old Gibbs stare!" Ziva said, her hope mingling with desperation. "You gave it to all of us: McGee, Tony, me!"

"What are you talking about?!" Gibbs asked.

Ziva grabbed Gibbs' right hand and brought it behind her head, bringing it forward sharply so he smacked her in the head.

Suddenly, it was like a switch in his memory. Gibbs remembered walking behind Ziva, smacking her in the head. In the squad room of NCIS.

"Ari… Ari killed Kate," Ziva said, her voice husky with emotion. "And I… I killed Ari!" Ziva sobbed.

"Your brother. You killed your brother… to save me," Gibbs remembered. Looking over at Kelly, he said, "You were there. You came that night when it was raining. Ari shot at you, too."

Kelly nodded and couldn't help crying as Gibbs pulled her close with one hand and Ziva with the other, hugging them both.

-------

After changing into hospital scrubs, Kelly rode with her father and Ziva back to NCIS and she waited in the squad room while Gibbs, Tony, McGee and Ziva hurried into MTAC.

"Are you alright?" Ducky asked, going to Kelly as she sat at her father's desk.

"I can't shake this feeling… Something bad is going to happen," Kelly said, nervously. "I can feel it in my gut."

"The Gibbs Gut is genetic?" Ducky asked, curiously.

"Try saying that three times fast," Abby said, trying to cheer up her friend.

"I'm sure there is nothing to worry about," Ducky said, reassuringly as he cast a wary eye up at MTAC.

But a few minutes later, as McGee, tony and Ziva came down, Kelly stood and asked, "What is it?"

"Pinpin Pula blew up the _Cape Fear_," Tony said, rage simmering just below the surface. "Gibbs warned them, but the stupid idiots wouldn't listen."

"Oh, God," Kelly said, sighing.

"They thought they were doing the right thing," Ziva added, only her eyes betraying the anger she felt.

"Where's Dad?" Kelly asked.

"In the director's office," McGee replied.

Kelly didn't say anything else until her father came back in to the squad room and went to his desk. "Tony's got your gun and badge," she said as Tony handed them over.

"Got 'em from the medics when they took you," Tony added.

Gibbs took his ID and handed back the gun and shield before handing them back and putting a hand on Tony's shoulder. "You'll do. It's your team now."

Kelly stood there, shell-shocked as her father spoke to McGee before going to Abby and kissing her on the cheek. After saying something to Ziva, Gibbs turned to Kelly.

"You promised," Kelly said, crying softly. "Daddy, you promised."

"Kelly…" Gibbs said, gently as he reached for his daughter.

"No!" Kelly shouted, feeling hurt and angry. "I said 'Don't leave'. You said, 'Never again'. You _promised_." Sobbing, she said, quietly, "You never break a promise to me."

Gibbs wiped his daughter's tears and kissed her on the cheek. "Take care, Kelly. I love you."

But as Gibbs left the room, Kelly fell to her knees next to the desk, crying.

----------------

A few days after her father left for Mexico, Kelly found herself in the basement of her old house, working on the boat her father had been working on. It was hard work but she'd been doing it since she was a kid and the work was comforting.

"Surprised you're not drinking bourbon, too," Tony said as he came down the stairs.

"I locked the front door, Tony," Kelly said, her tone flat.

"Came in the back," Tony replied. "Maddie said you haven't been home since your dad left."

"Jenny let me stay with her," Kelly replied. "I called."

"Kelly, stop and look at me," Tony ordered.

Kelly did so and said, "Dad always promised he'd never leave me again. How could he break his word?"

"I don't know," Tony admitted. "But look. We'll get through this, okay?" Taking Kelly's arm, he added, "Now come on. You look like you haven't had a real meal in days. The director is hosting a team dinner and Ziva's cooking."

Hugging Tony, Kelly started crying again. "He'll come back, right?" Looking at Tony, she said, "Dad's going to come back soon, right?"

"Yeah," Tony said, not sure if he was lying or not. "Gibbs is just… taking a hiatus. He'll be back." Looking at Kelly, he said, "He's never been away from you for too long, has he?"


	4. Shalom

AUTHOR'S NOTES: I had a little bit of trouble writing this chapter mainly because I wasn't sure of how to play the dynamic between Kelly and everyone else.

Next chapter will be the episode 'Sandblast' although I'm not sure about how to write Col. Hollis Mann and Kelly. Friends or foes? Let me know what you think!

Chapter 4

* * *

_**Shalom**_

The longer Gibbs was in Mexico, the more Kelly got the feeling that her father wasn't coming back. She'd gone from depression to hopeful but now she was just angry. Angry that her father had broken the one promise he'd sworn to never break. She'd stopped popping by NCIS and mostly stayed at her old house, working on the boat in the basement until the wee hours of the morning when she would go to the apartment to grab a few hours of sleep before working on school stuff while drinking a cup of black coffee.

But on a sunny Thursday, Kelly was forced to pull herself from the rut she'd gotten into when Maddie came into the living room, holding out the cordless phone. "Agent DiNozzo is asking for you."

Kelly took the phone, knowing the man was probably checking in on her. "Yeah?"

"Have you seen Ziva?" Tony asked, sounding a bit worried.

"No, why?" Kelly asked, sitting up a bit. "Tony, what's going on?"

"There was a bombing in Georgetown," Tony replied. "Ziva was involved."

"Well, is she alright? What happened?" Kelly asked, standing and pacing.

"We don't know," Tony said, irritably. "All we know is that she's missing and the FBI wants to bring her in. Now can you think of any place she might go?"

"No," Kelly said, shaking her head and rubbing her face with her free hand. "God, Tony… This… This wouldn't have happened if…" She trailed off, not really wanting to say what she was thinking.

"I know," Tony replied, knowing what Kelly was going to say. "Look, Ziva needs your help."

"I'm not my father, Tony," Kelly said, a slight snap in her voice.

"No…" Tony agreed. "But right now you're the closest thing we have."

Kelly hung up and then looked at Maddie. "I'm going to be out for a while. I'll call you later."

--

Driving around, Kelly didn't have the slightest idea of where to start looking for Ziva David. She wouldn't be at her apartment and she couldn't go too far into the Navy Yard since it was likely to be crawling with feds. Possibly the other team members' homes would be under surveillance as well…

But there was one place that would be under the radar, yet close enough to NCIS. Turning down a street, Kelly pulled into her father's driveway and parked. She'd been leaving the front door locked the past few months, but the back door was still unlocked. Slipping inside, Kelly kept her eyes and ears opened. If Ziva was here then she'd be on alert. Finding the first and second floors empty, Kelly went to the basement door and slowly opened it, stepping onto the small landing before looking around.

"Close the door and put your hands up!"

Kelly's heart was pounding as she raised her hands but she breathed a sigh of relief as she slowly started down the steps. "It's just me," Kelly said, when she reached the basement floor. "Ziva?"

"Kelly," Ziva sighed, lowering the 9mm she held. "I thought you were…"

"FBI?" Kelly said, lowering her hands. "Tony called me and told me what happened."

"I'm being framed," Ziva said, quickly. "I know who is behind it."

"Ziva, I believe you," Kelly insisted. "I'm here to help."

"You can't help me," Ziva said sadly as she sat on Gibbs' work bench stool.

Kelly took that in and after a moment, she asked, "Could Dad?"

"Kelly, I don't want you to—"

"I know," Kelly interrupted. "This is more important than how I feel about Dad right now."

-----------------------------------------------

On the seashores of old Mexico, Gibbs sat on a piece of driftwood, looking out at the ocean. It was beautiful here… but even after 4 months, he couldn't forget the look on Kelly's face when he left.

"Whatever happened to fixing the roof?" Mike Franks asked, walking up to Gibbs and handing him a beer.

"I'll get to it," Gibbs replied.

"She'll be fine, Probie," Franks said, sitting down next to Gibbs.

"You didn't see the look on Kelly's face, Mike," Gibbs said, taking a long drink of his beer.

"She's a grown woman, Jethro," Franks insisted. "I know you know that but still…"

"_Hola_, gentlemen," said Eva Villareal as she walked over holding Mike Franks' mail and a bag of groceries.

"Gentlemen?" Franks scoffed, looking at Gibbs. "She can't be talking to you and me, Gunny!"

"You?" Eva said, taking the beer Gibbs offered. "No. _Senor_ Gibbs? _Si._ I have your groceries. You owe me $25 American," she added, holding up the bag. "And you have a phone call."

"Who?" Franks asked, going to take the phone.

"Not you," Eva replied, holding the phone out to Gibbs. "Leroy Jethro."

"Who is it?" Gibbs asked, wondering who the Hell would be calling him in Mexico. He'd given Kelly the number, sure, but she'd been refusing to talk to him the few times he'd tried calling.

Eva shrugged. "A woman. And she sounded _muy_ upset."

"Young woman or older?" Franks asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. Was it that lady NCIS director about to have a nervous break down? Or was it Kelly finally calling to chew out her father?

But before Eva could answer, Gibbs grabbed the phone and answered. "Yeah. Gibbs."

"_Hola_," Ziva's voice said in a would-be cheerful tone. "Uh… How's Mexico?"

"Ziva," Gibbs said, walking around the side of the house. "How'd you get this number?"

"From Kelly," Ziva admitted. "Look, I… I need your help."

"Help with what?" Gibbs asked, his gut telling him this wouldn't be a quick fix.

"I may be in a little bit of trouble," Ziva replied, suddenly unsure if she should really be asking Gibbs for this kind of help.

"Define 'little'," Gibbs said, dreading the answer.

"I'm currently on the run from the FBI, NCIS, Mossad, and my father," Ziva said, quietly.

"Jeez," Gibbs said, not expecting to hear that. "What'd you do?"

"Nothing, Gibbs," Ziva insisted. "I swear I did nothing." After a long pause, she said, "Tony can't help me…"

"Well, what about Jenny?" Gibbs suggested. "Jenny can help you."

"No, I…"

"Ziva, look!" Gibbs said, starting to be annoyed. "I'm retired! I'm 3000 miles away! What do you think _I_ can do that they _can't_ do?"

"Honestly, I don't know," Ziva replied and Gibbs could hear the desperation in her voice. "I was hoping maybe… save me?"

"Dad… Please?" Kelly said as she took the phone from Ziva. "Ziva really needs your help."

Gibbs sighed and hung up the phone, rubbing a hand over his face.

----------------------------------

Leaving Ziva in her father's house the next morning—after checking on Ziva who was still hiding in the basement, Kelly headed straight for NCIS and found Tony and McGee heading for Autopsy. "I want to help," Kelly said without the slightest bit of hesitation.

"Okay, come on," Tony replied, quickly as he let the young woman into the room where Jimmy Palmer, Ducky, and Abby were waiting. After Ducky hit the alert button for quarantines, Tony said, "First of all, this is a strictly voluntary thing. Ziva's a fugitive." Making sure everyone assembled understood, he went on. "Anyone caught helping or assisting her in any way will be in serious trouble.

"Trouble?' Jimmy asked, nervously. "You mean, like—"

"Like you could be arrested," Kelly said, pulling a hand on the autopsy table they were all gathered around. "I'm in."

"Me, too," Abby said, almost as quickly, as she put a hand on Kelly's.

"Danger, intrigue, a damsel in distress?" Ducky said, a note of delight in his voice as he put his hand in. "I'm actually looking forward to it."

"Me, too," McGee said, joining in.

Kelly noticed Jimmy's nervous look and she said, "Jimmy, go get some coffee."

"B-but I don't…" But catching Kelly Gibbs' look, Jimmy nodded. "Right. I-I just… I'm not… I'm leaving," he said, hurrying out of the room.

"Okay, first thing…" Tony went on. "No one outside this room can know about this. Not even the director. Are we all good with that?" When everyone nodded, Tony said, "Then let's figure out how to find her. McGee, I want you on her electronic—"

"She's at Dad's house," Kelly said, quickly. Holding out a piece of paper, she said, "Number of the phone she's using."

"Okay," Tony said, a new plan forming. "Ducky, talk to your contacts in the FBI. I want to know everything about that Georgetown crime scene." Turning to Kelly, he added, "Go home. Wait for me to contact you."

"Right," Kelly nodded, hurrying out and heading for her car. Once she'd arrived at the house, she went to the back door and started to head for the basement when she heard someone trying to open the locked front door. Looking out the spyhole on the door, Kelly quickly unlocked the door and stared at her father. "Dad."

"Kelly," Gibbs replied, expecting a hug from his daughter and surprised when she just stood aside to let him in.

"Ziva's in the basement," Kelly said, leading the way. "Tony's on his way here."

"Kelly, can we talk?" Gibbs said as his daughter reached for the basement door.

Kelly sighed and said, "Let's get Ziva off the FBI's 10 Most Wanted list first, okay?"

Gibbs nodded and he headed down to what was always his sanctuary. The boat looked almost finished and the area around it was cleaner that he'd ever seen it. Looking at Kelly he asked, "Been spending a lot of time down here since I left?"

"Gibbs," Ziva said, relieved, as she came out of the shadows. "I can't tell you how happy I am to see you."

"You guys want to tell me what the Hell I'm doing here?" Gibbs asked.

"I was driving down a street in Georgetown," Ziva explained. "At a red light a motorcycle pulled up next to me. It was like an op I did in Paris and I followed. The building blew up."

"Tony told me what was going on," Kelly added. "I went looking for Ziva."

"So what exactly do you think I can do?" Gibbs asked. "I'm not an agent anymore."

"No," Kelly said, angrily. "But you're still you and we need your help on how to proceed. Ziva said she knows who's behind this—"

"Namid Eschel," Ziva threw in. "My former Mossad teammate. He faked his death." Stiffening slightly as she heard creaking footsteps at the basement door, she pulled her weapon and whirled around, pointing the gun at Tony who came down holding a tray with three coffee cups and a frozen smoothie.

"Don't shoot me," Tony said, smiling as Ziva lowered her weapon. "Or you won't get your Berry Mango Madness."

Ziva looked shocked and confused as Tony set the coffee tray down on the work bench. "I'm on the run… you're risking your job by helping me… and you still stopped to pick up coffee and a smoothie?"

"You're welcome," Tony said, holding out the frozen fruit drink to his partner.

Grabbing one of the black coffees off the tray as Ziva took her smoothie, Kelly sipped before asking, "Okay, so what's the plan?"

"We find Eschel before he gets out of the country," Gibbs said, simply. "McGee, go back to NCIS and get out a BOLO."

"I'm DiNozzo," Tony said, eyeing Gibbs.

"What did I say?" Gibbs asked, taking the other black coffee.

"You called him McGee," Ziva replied.

"What about me?" Kelly asked, eagerly.

"Go home… get some sleep… eat dinner… do your homework," Gibbs replied. When Kelly started to protest, he shook his head. "Kelly, there is a time for you to help, but right now you need to stay away from here. If the FBI puts a tail on you, you could lead them straight to Ziva."

"Okay," Kelly agreed, reluctantly. "Okay, I'll go home." But as Gibbs turned back to Ziva and Tony, she added, "But only if you _promise_ to keep me in the loop."

"You got it, boss," Tony said with a nod. After a moment, he looked at Gibbs. "You're… not going to smack the back of my head?"

"Nope," Gibbs said with a smirk. When Tony felt someone smack him, he looked at Ziva before turning to Kelly. "She will."

"Ziva, there are groceries in the fridge. Help yourself," Kelly said as she backed up to the stairs.

When Kelly had gone, Tony looked at Gibbs. "Boss, were you really going to try and keep Kelly out of this?"

"Do I still look like your boss?" Gibbs asked, taking a drink of coffee. "Kelly has no business being involved in all this. Excuse me for protecting my daughter."

"Kelly's not your little girl any more, Gibbs. And she's grown up even more in the past 4 months, Gibbs," Tony said, giving Gibbs a long stare. "She's become more like you. She's done most of the work on the boat by herself. And she wants to be involved in this, Gibbs. And since _I'm_ the team leader, I'm making the call."

"_You're_ making a call about _my_ daughter?" Gibbs asked, his tone impassive.

"You see this?" Ziva said, annoyed at Tony's attitude. "He's been like this ever since you left. Completely insufferable! He thinks that if he drinks coffee, smacks everyone on the head and stares he'll be just like you!"

"You left me in charge," Tony said in his defense as he looked Gibbs in the eye. "I'm just trying to run this team the way you would have."

"Yeah?" Gibbs asked, appraisingly. "I knew there was a reason I left you in charge."

-------

After Tony left for NCIS, Ziva felt the need to say something as Gibbs found his 9mm. "Kelly missed you when you left, Gibbs."

"Didn't act like it," Gibbs said, loading a clip into the gun and checking it.

"That's because she's angry with you," Ziva said, defensively. "She wanted you to come back for her, not because of me being in trouble."

"She'll get over it, Ziva," Gibbs insisted as the two of them headed for the pick-up truck in the driveway and got in.

"Why are you pushing her away?" Ziva demanded to know. "The poor girl cares more about you than anything else. You mean the world to her and all of a sudden you leave her. You break a promise to her and you leave without giving her the slightest explanation why."

"She wouldn't understand, Ziva," Gibbs said as he headed down the road.

"Make her understand!" Ziva said, anger and exasperation in her voice. "Because to Kelly, you didn't just retire. You abandoned her. The one thing she's held on to all these years and suddenly you just walk away. I know you were angry when they ignored you about Pinpin Pula. And if I could I would have dealt with them myself. But you let your emotions blind you to what was more important."

"That defending the country is more about politics?" Gibbs asked, sarcastically.

"That what we do is not just about defending a country," Ziva replied. "It is about defending and protecting the people _in_ that country. Ari did what he did because he was angry with my father. A personal grudge hidden by a cause. Tell me that is not what you are doing."

But Gibbs didn't reply and Ziva didn't go on. But when all this was over, she was going to make sure Gibbs and Kelly talked before Gibbs ran away to Mexico again.

----------

"Tony tells me that you and your father had something of an argument," Ducky said when Kelly came into Autopsy looking annoyed and flustered.

"I thought I'd be happy to have him back, Ducky," Kelly said, pacing the room. "But… he's treating me like I'm a kid again."

"It is possible that Jethro's memory may still be somewhat off," Ducky mused.

"He thought Tony was Tim," Kelly went on. "And earlier… I mean, he caught himself, but… Dad almost called Ziva 'Kate'."

"Have you tried talking with him?" Ducky suggested.

"I'm just… I'm angry with him," Kelly admitted. "Angry because he left… that he came back because of Ziva and _not_ because of me…"

Ducky thought for a moment and then said, "Sit down, my dear."

Kelly didn't want to, but after a moment, she sighed and sat on one of the stools nearby while Ducky sat as well. "Okay. What?"

"When Jethro asked me to drive him home, we had a lengthy discussion… regarding you," Ducky said, looking Kelly. "I was concerned. I knew how Jethro's leaving would affect you. Jethro told me he felt that his constant presence had been holding you back. The two of you have relied on each other so long… Your father felt that the two of you needed some time apart. So that he could… deal with his demons… and you could grow into the woman he knows you're capable of becoming."

"Dad has never held me back," Kelly protested. "He-He taught me all the rules before I was 16. I-I know all about how to investigate crime scenes. I'm… okay at the computer stuff and I'm doing really well in my online classes. Dad always pushed me. He encouraged me…"

"But did you decide on forensics because it is what you wanted?" Ducky asked, raising an eyebrow. "Or to work with your father?"

Kelly stammered for a moment before throwing her hands up. "I don't know! Dad was always bringing me here… Everyone kind of showed me how to do things… It was fun and… kind of cool."

Ducky smiled at that. "Yes, you did take to the whole thing much faster than even some of the best agents. But still…"

"Ducky, have you heard from Gibbs?" Tony asked as he came into the room.

"No, I haven't," Ducky replied.

"What's happened now?" Kelly asked, nervously.

"Gibbs and Ziva were going to check out this safehouse and they haven't called in," Tony replied, eying Kelly. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, where else would I be, Tony?" Kelly snapped. "I practically live here."

"Thought Gibbs told you to go home," Tony clarified.

"Dad doesn't get to tell me what to do anymore," Kelly replied. "Now what can I do to help?"

"Go help McGee and Abby," Tony said, giving Kelly a smile.

Kelly nodded and hurried out the door. When she got to the lab, she found Abby at her computer. "Abby, what do we got?"

"Not much," Abby replied. "Tony told me Gibbs and Ziva are missing and the number you had for Ziva isn't picking up."

"Well, there has to be something I can do," Kelly said, pacing.

"Not right now," McGee replied. "We've got a BOLO out on Eschel—"

"Any hits?" Kelly asked, quickly.

"Let me check," McGee said, bringing up the BOLO information. "Got a hit in Woodbridge. Freemont Inn"

"Okay, that's good," Kelly said, still pacing. "Now we just have to find Dad."

"Gibbs is missing?" Abby asked, sounding worried. "Where are they? What happened?"

"I don't know," Kelly replied. Rubbing her face with her hands, she stopped and thought for a moment. "Okay. Abby, trace Ziva's phone. If that doesn't work, try the phone Tony gave Gibbs." Grabbing a scrap of paper and a pen, she jotted down the phone number and handed it to McGee.

As Abby ran a cell phone search, Kelly started pacing again. If something happened to her father… No. She wasn't going to think like that. "I'm going for coffee." Looking at McGee and Abby she asked, "Do either of you want anything?"

"No, I'm… I'm good," McGee replied, shaking his head.

"Abby?" Kelly asked. "You, uh… want a fresh Caff-Pow?'

"Sure," Abby replied, watching Kelly turn and leave. Turning to McGee she said, "What?"

"I was just thinking…" McGee said, quietly. "I've seen that look before."

"When Gibbs was blown up 4 months ago?" Abby replied.

"No," McGee said, turning back to the computers. "On Gibbs' face when Kate died."

That made a chill run down Abby's spine. If Gibbs was dead…

-------------

Coming back from her coffee run, Kelly tried not to think of her father being killed. He was a good agent but now… His hair was longer now and the beard was… Shaking her head, Kelly just wanted to focus on saving Ziva. Everything else could wait, she told herself. Saving Ziva was priority 1.

Down in the lab, Kelly handed the Caff-Pow over to Abby before taking a drink of coffee and saying. "Any news?"

"Not yet," McGee replied. "Ducky's in the squad room with Tony."

"I swear this whole thing is going to drive me crazy," Kelly muttered as she took up pacing the lab again. "I haven't slept. I've been living on coffee and—"

"I told you to go home," said a voice in the doorway and when Kelly whirled around, Gibbs smiled. "You can't think clearly on no sleep and an empty stomach."

Dropping her coffee on the floor, Kelly threw herself at her father and threw her arms around his neck. "You're alive!"

"I hope so," Gibbs laughed. "Like I told DiNozzo, I've been blown up twice. Don't think I have a third one in me."

"Wait. What?" McGee asked. "Gibbs, what happened?"

"Eschel blew the safehouse after tipping off the FBI," Gibbs replied. "Abbs, there's evidence and fingerprints coming. Got a body that needs ID."

"You sure you're okay, Dad?" Kelly asked, eyeing him warily.

"Just need coffee," Gibbs replied.

"Okay," Kelly replied with a nod. "Just, uh… let me clean up my spill and I'll make another run. Tony?"

"Coffee sounds great," Tony agreed. "Don't forget—"

"Extra sugar," Kelly replied with a smile as she grabbed a roll of paper towels. "I know."

Catching Gibbs' eye, Tony shrugged. "I like sugar. It's my weakness."

"What's wrong with black coffee?" Gibbs asked as Kelly cleaned up and headed out.

What, indeed, Kelly thought as she headed down to the coffee shop. When she was 12 she'd asked her father for a taste of his coffee and although the black coffee hadn't tasted good to her at the time, there was something in the dark brew that stayed with her and after a few years of tinkering, she'd found the right balance of cream and sugar to make it palatable.

But when her father had been in that blast 4 months ago, Kelly's tastes had changed and now she liked the stronger flavor of black coffee.

After buying 3 large coffees—one with 10 shots of sugar—Kelly headed back to NCIS and for some reason, she couldn't shake the thought of coffee.

McGee liked just a touch of skim milk to cut the sharp taste of his coffee.

Ziva had never been a fan of coffee, preferring hot tea in the colder months and her Berry Mango Madness smoothies the rest of the time.

Jenny alternated between cream and sugar on normal days and black coffee when she was stressed or tense.

That Tony liked sugar in his coffee made sense, Kelly thought, as she got onto the elevator at NCIS. While on the surface Tony DiNozzo could look hard and intimidating, Kelly knew he could be a kind and caring person.

"Who wants caffeine?" Kelly asked, reentering the lab. Gibbs and Tony each grabbed a cup and as Kelly threw the drink tray in the garbage, she caught sight of her father and Tony making a face before they switched cups. "Okay, I've done the coffee run. What now?"

"Go back to the house and tell Ziva what's going on," Gibbs replied. "Tell her she's not to leave until we get there."

"You got it, Dad," Kelly replied as she left yet again.

Arriving at the house, she found Ziva still in the basement and when she got to the bottom of the steps, Kelly said, "We think we've found Eschel."

"Where is he?" Ziva asked quickly.

"Dad should be here soon," Kelly replied.

"Where?" Ziva asked again.

Kelly could tell that the Mossad agent wasn't going to wait and she sighed. "Okay, you want to do this on your own? Fine. But you're going in there with a plan."

"I have a plan," Ziva snapped. "I go to where Eschel is hiding and hit him until he tells me what I want to know."

"He _may_ talk to you," Kelly said, trying to reason. "But you know full well he'll never talk to NCIS."

"So what do you suggest?" Ziva asked, angrily. "I wear a wire?"

Kelly grinned. "Exactly. Give me a minute to grab something upstairs and I'll take you to the location."

-------------

After dropping Ziva off at the hotel, Kelly parked and waited until she saw her father's truck pull into the parking lot before getting out of her car.

"Where's Ziva?!" Gibbs demanded when he saw that his daughter was alone.

"Inside. We set up—"

"You let her go in there alone?"! Gibbs shouted, angrily. "If she kills Eschel there's no way to prove the Israelis weren't behind the hit!"

"Dad, we've got it covered!" Kelly insisted as her father charged into the hotel room, weapon drawn.

"You should have waited," Tony said, giving Kelly a stern look as he followed Gibbs.

McGee didn't say anything as he headed past Kelly but he couldn't help but think that he wouldn't want to be Kelly right now.

Leaning against the hood of her car, Kelly crossed her arms, hoping Ziva was okay. But a moment later, Kelly beamed as she saw her father and Tony coming out holding a limp—but still breathing—woman. Before she could ask, Ziva came out looking beat and a bit bloody, but triumphant. "It worked?" Kelly asked.

"It worked," Ziva replied as she got to Kelly's car.

"Kelly, McGee can take Ziva to the emergency room," Gibbs said, as Tony put the woman in the back seat of another car.

"Gibbs, I'm fine, honestly," Ziva protested.

"Ziva…" Gibbs said, giving her a look. "Go. Let us take care of things and then you can meet us in the squad room."

After Tony, McGee, and Ziva had drove away, Kelly crossed her arms and said, "I assume you sent them away for a reason."

"Yeah," Gibbs replied. "We need to talk."

"About what?" Kelly asked, coolly.

"I didn't abandon you, Kelly," Gibbs insisted. "I want you to know that."

"Is that what you tell yourself?" Kelly asked as she gave her father the stare he'd always given her. "That you didn't abandon me? You gave up. You were knocked down and you just decided to lie there instead of getting up again. You're a great agent, Dad! And when you're as good as something as you are, you don't just quit! You dig in and you don't give in. _You_ taught me that."

"I did, huh?" Gibbs said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, you did," Kelly replied. "I know you're stubborn, Dad. But guess what? I can be just as stubborn as you when I want to be and you know it. You want to tuck your tail between your legs and go running back to Mexico? Fine. Go. But look me in the eye and tell me honestly that you retired because you wanted to and not because you just wanted to escape."

Gibbs didn't reply, but he looked at his daughter, really seeing her for the first time in his life. Despite the ways he'd subtly tried to point her at Kate, Tony, or Jenny for guidance, Kelly had become just like him. And Gibbs knew that if he lied Kelly would be able to tell. "Do you know what it's like to say something and no one will listen to you?"

"Yeah," Kelly replied, quickly. "Every time I've tried to tell you I want to be an NCIS agent. You tried to lead me to forensics—and don't get me wrong, I like that stuff—but you know full well that I could be as good as Tony."

The two regarded each other for a while and Gibbs finally said, "You really want to be an agent, Kelly?"

"Yes," Kelly replied.

There was another long pause and then Gibbs nodded. "Okay. You got it."

"Really?" Kelly asked, raising en eyebrow. "And are you going to be training me or are you just going to leave me in Tony's capable hands?"

Gibbs laughed. "Much as I trust Tony this is one project I'm going to oversee personally."

"So you're staying," Kelly said, making it clear that it was a statement, not a question.

"DiNozzo's not going to like it," Gibbs said as he got into Kelly's car.

Getting behind the wheel, Kelly grinned. "He'll just have to suck it up and deal with it," She said, pulling out of the parking lot and tearing down the road.

----------------------

Walking into the squad room the following Monday morning, Tony stopped as he noticed something off.

"Something wrong, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked from his desk.

Seeing Ziva and McGee at their old desks, Tony asked, "What's going on?"

"Gibbs is back," Ziva replied.

"When did that happen?" Tony asked as he went to his old desk.

"Last night, Tony," Kelly said as she entered the room and Tony was surprised that she was a bit more dressed up than usual.

"Uh, boss?" McGee asked, looking at Gibbs.

Gibbs stood and walked over to Kelly, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Meet our new agent in training," Gibbs said as he and Kelly gave the rest of the team identical smiles.


	5. Sandblast

AUTHOR'S NOTES: I was kind of eager to do this chapter since it's the first appearance of Army Lt. Col. Hollis Mann and I wanted to kind of set the dynamic between her and Kelly.

I'm skipping a good bit ahead on the next chapter but it's a very important one since it will be based on the episode 'Grace Period'. I'll try to hit on a few of the in-between episodes just to fill in some blanks.

And remember: Reviews equal Love!

Chapter 5

* * *

_**Sandblast**_

Being an agent in training was much different than just hanging around.

As opposed to when Kelly was just helping out, now her father had her doing field work, interviewing people, and—the biggest difference—actually sitting in on the shop talk.

Gibbs didn't protect her as much but so far he had requested she stay out of Autopsy when Ducky was working on a body.

But as different and hard as it was, Kelly was enjoying it. She liked being completely in the thick of things and actually working on cases rather than just running errands or helping Abby. Her father had even set her up at a desk and made sure she had the highest possible clearance for a probie.

"Grab your gear!" Gibbs said, coming down from the upper level. "We've got a bombing at the Army-Navy Club."

"Um, shouldn't that go to Army CID?" Kelly asked, grabbing her bag and following the others to the elevator.

"Victim was a Marine Colonel," Gibbs explained. "Makes it our jurisdiction."

"Okay," Kelly replied. "Understood."

-------

As McGee went to check the woods for bomb fragments, body parts, etc., Gibbs, Ziva, and Kelly went to the sand bunker where the blast had taken place.

"Agent Gibbs?" said a woman in army fatigues. "Lieutenant Colonel Hollis Mann. Army CID," she said, holding out a hand. When Gibbs shook her hand, she added, "I believe your director called."

"She did," Gibbs confirmed. "Col. Mann, this is—"

"Ziva David," Mann finished. "Army Criminal Investigative Division has excellent intel."

"I'm sure that will be helpful to the investigation," Kelly said, feeling a turf war brewing. And knowing how her father felt about the Army, she decided to play mediator. "A joint investigation."

Mann looked both amused and impressed as she said, "And you are?"

"Agent-in-training Kelly Gibbs," Kelly said, a smirk on her face.

Mann raised an eyebrow and looked at Leroy Jethro Gibbs. "Look, this isn't the Navy-Army Club. It's the Army-Navy Club."

"Yeah?" Gibbs said, amused. Pointing at the dead body, he said, "That is a dead Marine at the Army-Navy Club." After a moment, he turned to Kelly. "Go help DiNozzo."

"Yes, sir," Kelly replied with a nod.

"Niece?" Mann asked as she and Gibbs walked around the crime scene.

"No," Gibbs said simply.

Over by one of the trashcans, Kelly looked at Tony before glancing back at her father and Col. Mann.

"What's going on?" Tony asked, pulling what looked like part of a detonator out of the trash.

"Dad just found his third ex-wife," Kelly replied, eyeing the Army colonel. As she watched Col. Mann face off against Gibbs, Kelly wondered if she should have a little talk with the other woman.

"Seriously?" Tony asked.

"Where's Tim?" Kelly asked, looking around.

"Over in the woods probably getting poison ivy again," Tony said, heading towards Gibbs and Mann.

But as Kelly went to find McGee, she stopped when she saw something silvery by some bushes. Pulling on latex gloves, she knelt down and picked up a pair of dogtags. Making a mental note to give them to Colonel Cooper's son, Kelly put the tags in an evidence bag and proceeded to look for McGee.

-------------

Back at NCIS, Kelly sat in a conference room with Josh Cooper. She'd asked to get his statement, not for the experience, but because she felt a connection to the poor young man.

"I can't believe he's really gone," Josh said. "It's like I hear myself say that but I know it's a stupid thing to say."

"It's not stupid, Josh," Kelly said, gently. "I understand."

"Oh, yeah?" Josh replied, doubtfully. "Your father was killed by a bomb, too?"

"It was my mom," Kelly said, calmly. "And it was a car accident."

Josh didn't reply but after a while, he asked, "What happened?"

"Mom saw a Marine get killed. She testified against the killer. An NIS agent was assigned to protect us. He was driving the van when the killer fired a sniper shot. The agent was killed and Mom died in the crash," Kelly said, giving the cliff-notes version. Even though Josh didn't look at her, Kelly could tell Josh appreciated that she was trying to sympathize.

"I thought… we were fighting them over there so we wouldn't have to fight them over here," Josh said, starting to feel angry.

"I wish that were the case," Kelly said. "Look, we're going to find out who did this, okay? I give you my word." Grabbing her notepad and pen, she said, "Now you said you saw a spiderweb in the bunker?"

"At least that's what I thought," Josh replied, replaying the event in his mind. "Until my dad hit it. I should have… said something."

Setting the pen down, Kelly asked, "Like what?"

"I should have told Dad there was something there!" Josh insisted. "I-If I had, maybe he'd still be alive."

"If I hadn't insisted I had to go to the library," Kelly countered. "—maybe my mother would still be alive.'

After a moment, Josh nodded. "It's just not fair."

"No," Kelly agreed. "It's not." Tearing off a scrap of paper, she scribbled down her home and cell phone numbers. Handing it to Josh, she said, "Here are my numbers. If you want to talk…"

Josh took the piece of paper and nodded. "Thanks. I appreciate it."

"You're welcome," Kelly said, giving the young man a smile.

-------------

Coming out of MTAC with Gibbs, Jenny said, "Was it just me or did the SecDef seem nervous?"

"Probably has a tee time tomorrow," Gibbs replied, leaning on the rail and looking over the squad room

Looking at Col. Mann, Jenny asked, "What's she like?"

"Kelly doesn't like her," Gibbs replied as he saw his daughter go to her desk.

"Really?" Jenny asked, interested. "I wonder why."

"Ask her," Gibbs said, heading for the stairs. Once on the squad room floor, Gibbs looked at Kelly and said, "Director wants you."

"Um, okay," Kelly said, a little nervous as she headed for the stairs. Once she was standing with Jenny, she said, "You wanted to see me, Director?"

Jenny smiled as she looked at the young woman she regarded as her own daughter. "Kelly… you can still call me 'Jenny'."

"Okay," Kelly replied with a smile. "You wanted to see me?"

"Jethro tells me you're not really warming up to Lt. Col. Hollis Mann," Jenny replied. "Any particular reason?"

"You know that look Dad gets when one of you mentions Paris?" Kelly asked, watching as Mann left with Tony and Gibbs.

"Yes," Jenny replied, a reminiscent smile on her face.

"That's the look Col. Mann has when she looks at Dad," Kelly replied. "Like she's… annoyed with him, but… she's attracted to him."

"And that's bad?" Jenny asked, interested.

"Why can't you and Dad get back together?" Kelly asked, looking at Jenny hopefully. "The two of you are good together."

"It's not that simple," Jenny said, sadly.

"I know, I know," Kelly replied. "You're the NCIS Director. Just… Can't you give it a try?"

"She's really that bad?" Jenny asked.

"Well… No, not really," Kelly replied. "I mean, it's nice to see someone, you know, who keeps Dad on his toes." Catching Jenny's eye, Kelly sighed and shrugged. "I'll give her a chance."

"Good girl," Jenny said with a smile. "Go help Abby process everything."

"Yes, Ma'am," Kelly said with a smile and a wink.

----------

When Gibbs finally pulled up to where the car of the Army-Navy Club's groundskeeper's car had been found, Col. Mann was already there and Army CID was placing the groundskeeper under arrest.

"We've got him in custody, Agent Gibbs," Mann said, and she couldn't keep the smug tone out of her voice. "My people can handle the interrogation."

When Tony started following his boss and the Lt. Col., Gibbs gave his agent a look. "Check out the area, DiNozzo."

"Right, boss," Tony said, hurrying off.

"Divorced, right?" Mann asked as she and Gibbs headed for the greenskeeper's car.

"Twice," Gibbs replied.

"Only two times?" Mann asked, slightly impressed as she watched some of the men from her team opening the car's trunk. "Well, I'll be sure to tell my superiors how you assisted." When the trunk yielded nothing except an impressive amount of marijuana, Gibbs smiled as he heard the embarrassed tone in Hollis Mann's voice as she said, "Okay, drugs. Doesn't mean he didn't plant the bomb."

"You can have that interrogation," Gibbs said, grinning as he headed back to his car.

As Mann watched Gibbs leave, she couldn't help thinking that Leroy Jethro Gibbs was _the_ most irritating person she'd ever had the misfortune to work with.

So what was it about the man that she found so damn appealing?

----------

Lying under the boat in her father's basement, working on the finishing touches, Kelly heard the stairs creak and she stopped when she heard Col. Mann's voice.

"Agent Gibbs? I've been ringing your doorbell for the last 3 minutes."

"Yeah, I've been meaning to get around to fixing that," Gibbs replied.

"Well, the door was unlocked, so…" Mann said as she reached the bottom of the stairs.

"So this would be trespassing, not breaking and entering," Gibbs finished.

Kelly could see the Lt. Col. stop next to the boat and when Kelly heard her say, "Shannon?" Kelly scooted from underneath.

"My mother's name," Kelly replied, getting to her feet.

"I see," Mann said, feeling a bit uncomfortable with Kelly there.

As if sensing the tension in the room, Gibbs looked at Mann and asked, "Is there a reason you broke into my house?"

"This is a joint investigation," Mann replied. "I was hoping we could share information."

Kelly walked around the boat and pulled a beer from the cooler by the work bench. "Colonel?" Kelly asked, holding out a second bottle.

"Sure," Mann said, taking the bottle with a nod. As she leaned over to grab a clean rag to open the bottle, she failed to notice Jethro Gibbs checking her out. "I got the results on the swabs from the Toyota. There were traces of diesel fuel and fertilizer," she reported, checking out Gibbs' butt as he bent over to work on painting the name on his boat. "Same thing McVeigh used to blow the federal building in Oklahoma."

"Owner of the car was a greenskeeper, though, right?" Kelly asked, popping the top on her beer and sitting on an open area of the workbench before taking a drink. "So he'd be around fertilizer and diesel fuel all day."

"It was a bad lead," Mann admitted, taking a drink of her beer as she watched Gibbs. "Anything you'd like to share?"

"I've got some sardines upstairs," Gibbs offered.

"I meant about the case," Mann replied. "But then again, you knew that." Looking at the name on the boat, she wanted to ask whether Shannon was the first or second divorce but seeing the glares she was getting from Kelly, Col. Mann decided against asking. Instead, she said, "I had CID Intel do a profile on you."

"Her or me?" Gibbs asked, nodding to Kelly.

"Both of you, actually," Mann replied, looking at Gibbs first. "I know you flaunt authority, especially in front of a female."

"A female write that?" Kelly asked, taking another long swig of her beer.

"Yes, as a matter of fact," Mann replied with a smile. Turning back to Gibbs, she went on. "She also said you were a sniper—a good one—but your eyesight's shot. You're injury prone, if not in a state of near death-wish fulfillment. And although you're pressured and impatient, you're also passionate and loyal—despite the fact the fact that you don't trust anyone." As she started to fuss at one of the grooves on the boat, she was stopped when Gibbs pulled her hand away. Looking at the senior NCIS agent, Mann added, "You _are_ going to have to trust me."

"Is there anything I should know about you before we get involved?" Gibbs asked, curiously. There was something about Hollis Mann that reminded him of Jenny… Seeing that Mann had misunderstood, he clarified. "Involved in the case, I mean."

"You can have NCIS Intel do a profile on me if you like," Mann offered, as she sipped her beer.

"Oh, I could," Gibbs replied. "But I like surprises."

Finishing her own beer, Kelly hopped off the workbench and grabbed her denim jacket and said, "Dad, I'll see you later. Nice to see you again, Colonel Mann."

Once his daughter had left the basement, Gibbs looked at Mann. "Kelly's profile?"

"Top of her classes in forensics and law enforcement," Mann replied, sitting on a stool by the work bench. "You managed to talk Director Shepard into letting Kelly field train with you instead of going to FLETC. Which from what I've heard about you is probably a good thing. She's passionate, loyal, caring… Like a female version of you." Polishing off her beer, Mann fixed Gibbs with a look before going on. "The only thing that troubles me right now is that your daughter seems to have even less regard for my authority than you do."

As Gibbs resumed painting the name 'Shannon' on the boat, he chuckled. "Well, I think that Kelly's attitude has less to do with a loyalty to NCIS than it does a personal issue."

"'Personal issue'?" Mann asked, curiously. "Like what?"

"Talk to Kelly," Gibbs replied, straightening up. "She's the one with a problem. Not me."

"So… you don't have any problems with me… personally?" Mann asked, giving Gibbs a smile.

"None at all," Gibbs replied, returning the smile.

-------------

"Miss Gibbs!"

Kelly stopped walking and turned as she heard Col. Mann call her name from the blue sedan coming down the street. "Can I help you, Col.?"

"Can we talk?" Mann asked, pulling up to the curb.

Kelly sighed. "Look, I'm sorry about being snippy, okay? I'm not having a good day."

When Kelly started to walk down the sidewalk, Mann stopped the car and got out as she said, "So was Shannon divorce 1 or 2?"

Kelly stopped and slowly turned, her expression cold as she walked back to the Lieutenant Colonel. "My mother was murdered," Kelly snapped, angrily. "She was killed in a car accident."

"I'm sorry," Mann said, sincerely. "I didn't mean anything by it."

Kelly was sorely tempted to quote her father's rule about apologies, but instead she said, "Next time, do your research before you start talking about people you don't know anything about."

"Is that why you don't like me?" Mann asked.

"No," Kelly replied, coolly. "It's… That's… just part of it."

"And the other part?"

Kelly crossed her arms. She didn't want to get into this and certainly not late at night on the sidewalk. "It's… complicated."

"Your father and I are in this investigation together," Mann said, trying to think of a way to get through to the younger woman. "I know you wouldn't want to impede our progress in catching a terrorist threat."

"No," Kelly agreed. Rolling her eyes, she sighed again. "You wouldn't understand."

"Try me," Mann insisted.

----------

"I hate her," Kelly said to Abby the next day as she helped the forensic tech work on the bomb fragments. "Why is it that every time a woman likes dad they always think they need to be friends with me too? It's Dad's life and his decision. Why do I always have to be stuck in the middle of everything? I don't care. If Dad wants to date Col. Mann, that's up to him. I'm just going to settle for quiet resentment."

"Actually, you're being pretty vocal right now," Abby argued. "Have you considered just being happy for Gibbs?"

"Yes," Kelly admitted. "But…" Shaking her head, she changed the subject. "Bomb fragments. What do we got?"

"Plastic fragments from common biodegradable corn based polymers," Abby said, looking over the evidence. "And the piece of detonator is an off the shelf fuse from the hardware store."

"Dad is not going to like this," Kelly said, dismally.

--

Going up to the squad room, Kelly found her father and the rest of the team heading out. "What's going on?"

"CIA informant gave us a possible location for out terrorist," Tony replied, grabbing his gear.

Kelly dashed to her desk and grabbed her knapsack, getting to the elevator right behind her father who gave her a look. "Is this one of those moments where you tell me to stay here cause it's safer?" Kelly asked as McGee, Tony, and Ziva got in.

"Nope," Gibbs said, simply. "This is one of those times you do exactly what I say and follow my lead."

"Yes, sir," Kelly replied with a nod.

--

At the site, Gibbs looked at Kelly who was right on his heels. "We don't know what's going on," Gibbs warned as Kelly drew her weapon. "Stay close and keep your eyes open."

"Thought you'd have gotten here first and gone in without me," Colonel Mann said as she grabbed a shotgun and followed Gibbs.

"And you said I have trust issues," Gibbs replied, giving Holly a smile. When did he start thinking about her on a first name basis?

Once the inside was clear, Kelly looked around and looking up, she felt a sinking feeling as she saw something tied to the rafters. "Uh… Dad?"

"What?" Gibbs asked, looking around at the terrorist paraphernalia

"I think I know who their next target is, boss," Tony said, looking up at where Kelly staring.

"Who?" Gibbs asked, looking as well and spotting the bomb.

"Us," Tony said, simply.

"Okay, everyone clear out!" Col. Mann said, backing out of the building. "Get EOD in here!"

"Kelly, get out of here, now!" Gibbs ordered as Kelly headed for the back door.

Out in the alley, Kelly found herself wondering if she was mental for coming along. She could be safe at NCIS working on evidence or computer records or… something… Seeing Ziva head for the back door, Kelly's common sense told her to stop the other woman but as Tony followed her, Kelly hurried after them.

"What the Hell are you doing, Ziva?" Tony asked as his partner took off her jacket and climbed up towards the bomb.

"I can disarm it," Ziva replied, confidently.

"Okay, well, great. Let's go outside and talk about this," Tony said as Ziva looked down at him.

"If it detonates before EOD gets here we'll lose evidence," Ziva insisted.

"Kinda think our _lives_ are a bit more important," Kelly said as she and Tony started climbing as well.

"Kelly, get out of here," Tony ordered.

"You guys are staying," Kelly replied.

"Yes, but even if Ziva manages to disarm the bomb, Gibbs will kill us if he finds out you were with us," Tony countered.

"I'm staying," Kelly insisted. "Now let's disarm that thing."

As Tony watched Ziva work, he kept thinking of all the ways Gibbs would kill him when he found out Kelly was—

"Hold this," Ziva said, holding out the cell phone that was attached to the bomb.

"Do you have any idea what'll happen if this cell phone rings?" Tony asked.

"It'll probably be better than if Dad finds out about this," Kelly muttered, breathing a sigh of relief when Ziva managed to defuse the device.

"Go," Ziva told her. "If Gibbs asks, you came back in after I defused the bomb."

"Got it," Kelly nodded, climbing down and heading for the door. But as she stepped outside, she found herself face to face with Col. Mann who looked somber, but there was a slightly amused look in her eye.

"Thought Agent Gibbs told you to leave the building," Mann said, a small smirk on her face.

"Uh… Ziva defused the bomb," Kelly said, quickly, as she pointed over her shoulder.

"Really?" Mann replied, a bit surprised. "That's good news."

"Yeah," Kelly agreed. She hadn't felt this nervous since her father had caught her coming back from borrowing his convertible rental car when she was 16.

"If you hurry," Mann said, a definite smile on her face. "Your father might believe that you were just securing the perimeter."

"Thanks," Kelly said, a bit surprised by the other woman's reaction. But she hurried off, hoping her father wouldn't find out what had really happened just now.

-------------

Once back at NCIS, Tony and Ziva gave the report on the bomb. "The bomb was set to go off when the cell was called," Tony said, hoping his heart rate would slow soon. But the memory of being that close to the device…

"The cell phone was prepaid and disposable," Ziva added. "Never been used."

"So no call log," Kelly said with a sigh.

"But thanks to our bomb disposal expert--" Tony said, feeling both proud of Ziva for saving the crime scene but at the same time he also wanted to head slap Ziva so hard her grandchildren would feel it. "We still have plenty to work with."

"It looks like two or three people were staying there," Ziva added.

"Abby's processing it," Tony finished.

As Gibbs headed for his desk, he said, "That's nice work, Ziva. But you ever do anything like that again, I'll kick your ass back to Israel."

"Understood," Ziva said, grateful that Gibbs wasn't going to fire her.

Watching as Col. Mann went to her father's desk, Kelly could tell that the two liked each other. And it had been a long time since Kelly had seen her father smile like that… Other than when he was with Jenny. When the two left the squad room, Kelly turned to her computer and got back to work. If she was working she wouldn't think about her father and Col. Mann.

"You want to talk about it?" Tony said as he walked over to Kelly.

"Nope," Kelly replied.

"You're always going to be Gibbs' #1 girl, Kelly," Tony assured her.

"I just want to work," Kelly said, quietly, sighing when her cell phone rang. "Kelly Gibbs."

"Miss Gibbs? This is Eileen Cooper. Josh Cooper's mother?"

"Yes, Mrs. Cooper," Kelly said, straightening up. "How can I help you?"

"Josh… He said he's not going to Princeton," Eileen said, sounding worried. "He's planning to join the Marines instead. Look, I… Could you talk to him? Please?"

"Yeah, I'll be there in about 10 minutes," Kelly said, standing up. As she headed for the elevator, she noticed Tony was with her. "You're following me?"

"Doctor's appointment," Tony said, evasively.

"Uh-huh," Kelly replied, doubtfully.

----

At the Cooper's house, Kelly knocked on the door and when Eileen Cooper answered, she let Kelly in as she said, "Thanks for coming. I-I know… I know Darren would be proud to have his son in the Marines, but… But I don't think I could handle losing them both. Josh is all I have left."

"I understand, Mrs. Cooper," Kelly said as Eileen led her to Josh's room. Opening the door, Kelly stepped into the room and was a little surprised to hear the saxophone jazz music. "So going away to college isn't your thing, huh?" Kelly asked, when Josh looked up.

"My Mom called you, didn't she?" Josh asked, a bit annoyed. "What did she tell you?"

"That you're not going to Princeton," Kelly replied. "That you want to join the Marines instead." Leaning against the closed door, she said, "Believe it or not, Josh, I know how you feel. Except I wanted to join the Army. Which pissed Dad off since he's a Marine."

"If this is your way of talking me out of joining the Corps," Josh said, irritably. "You suck at it."

"Josh, it's an honor to serve your country," Kelly said, calmly. "And the Marine Corps could use a tough kid like you. But why the big rush to join the military?"

"You know what? You're right. I should wait," Josh snapped, his temper rising. "After all, what's a few more dead Colonels?"

"You want to be pissed off?" Kelly said, coolly. "Fine. I don't blame you. But there's a difference between wanting justice… and wanting revenge. And believe me, Josh… _Neither_ is going to bring your father back but only one of those will make _you_ feel better."

"So you'd just do nothing?" Josh snapped.

"I would do whatever it took to find the people responsible," Kelly replied. "Listen… Don't do anything rash. Think about this. You're having a knee-jerk reaction and you're angry. And that's not the best way to make a rational decision."

-------------

McGee, Tony, Ziva, and Kelly were gone from the squad room when Gibbs came back from his favorite Chinese take-out place but Hollis Mann was still there looking at crime scene photos as Gibbs set the bag down on his desk.

"When did you leave?" Holly asked, pulling another chair over to the desk. "Lucky for you I'm a cheap date."

"This is a date?" Gibbs asked, opening up a thing of chopsticks.

"It's a figure of speech, Gibbs," Holly said with a smile.

"So I got the food. You solve the case yet?" Gibbs asked, digging into the sweet and sour pork.

"I was about to. Till you broke my concentration," Holly replied, helping herself to shrimp lo mien. "This case has more questions than answers and it also seems contradictory. There's no uptick in chatter which says that they're trying to be quiet about it, yet the hideout is like a neon sign saying what they're up to. And was Colonel Cooper just the first person to hit that bomb or was he targeted?" Seeing Gibbs' look, she said, "Sorry."

"Don't apologize," Gibbs said, quietly. "Sign of weakness."

"I always thought it took strength to apologize," Holly replied.

"You want to apologize for something on my team, you either give a really good explanation for what you did or you make it right," Gibbs explained.

-------------

Getting back to the squad room, Kelly caught her father's eye as she said, "Josh's mom called. Josh is looking for payback. He wants to skip Princeton and join the Marines. His mom wanted me to talk him out of it."

"Did you?" Gibbs asked.

Kelly shook her head and shrugged. "I don't know. We talked… he agreed to think before he made a decision."

"McGee, turn that up," Col. Mann said as she saw the headline on the news story playing on the plasma TV. "Gibbs?"

As Kelly watched the news story, she said, "Okay… this isn't good."

"Ya think?!" Gibbs said before he raised a hand and smacked his daughter on the back of the head.

-------------

The next morning, Kelly got to NCIS bright and early and headed down to Abby's lab. She wanted to find something to point the case in the right direction. Some clue…

"You're here early," Abby said as she came in, hanging up her cape and stashing her lunch in one of the coolers.

"Trying to find something to get things moving," Kelly explained.

"Want to start with the convenience store tape?" Abby offered as she pulled her lab coat on.

"Sounds good to me," Kelly replied, going to the computer and bringing up the footage.

After about an hour, one of the customers approached the counter but the clerk moved just as the other man started speaking.

"Ugh, down in front, man!" Abby said, annoyed.

"Do all your people talk to themselves?" Col. Mann asked Gibbs as the two came into the room.

"Don't yours?" Gibbs asked.

"I'm here, too," Kelly said, giving the colonel and her father a nod. "I've been watching for anything unusual… while Abby's been filling in what the customers are saying."

"But there's no audio," Mann said to Abby, a bit confused.

Abby smirked as she raised two fingers in the ASL sign for 'lip reading'.

"Ahhh, you read lips," Mann said as she turned back to the plasma screen.

Nudging Abby's elbow, Kelly waited until the Forensics tech was looking at her before signing, **'Catches on quick, doesn't she?'**

But Kelly was only slightly embarrassed when she saw her father signing a response. **'Give Holly a chance. Maybe she'll surprise you.'**

Kelly raised an eyebrow and made a note to ask about the first name usage when her cell phone rang. "Excuse me," she said, going into Abby's office to take the call. After a moment or two, she hung up the phone and headed for the elevator, saying, "Mrs. Cooper again."

----

As Mrs. Cooper let Kelly into Josh's room, Kelly noticed that the young man looked calm. Not as tense as before. "Looks like you've made up your mind," Kelly said with a smile.

"You're a mind-reader as well as a trainee agent?" Josh asked.

"I wasn't reading your mind," Kelly replied, sitting at the desk. "I was reading your body language. You're relaxed. The struggle is over." As Josh grabbed a large duffel bag from his closet, Kelly asked, "So what'll it be? 6am wake ups, desert camo, and being screamed at all day? Or all night parties and jello shots with co-eds?"

"I decided to do what my dad always wanted me to," Josh replied as he started packing.

"Not a fan of Jello shots, I take it," Kelly deduced.

"No," Josh admitted. "But he was a big fan of Princeton."

"So you're going back to school," Kelly said with a smile.

Josh nodded and even though he was actually excited about college there was something about Kelly Gibbs he was pretty sure he was going to miss. "After school I'm going to Georgetown Law then into naval intelligence."

"Sounds good," Kelly said, standing up. "We could use the help. Listen… Call. Whenever you want."

"Thanks," Josh said with a smile. "I think my dad would have liked you."

"And I think I'd have liked him," Kelly agreed as she headed for the door and—surprising herself and Josh—kissed the younger guy on the cheek Digging into her pocket, she pulled out an evidence bag. "I found these at the golf course." Holding out the bag, she said, "I thought you might like to keep them." Giving Josh a smile, Kelly left the room, hoping he hadn't seen the blush on her face.

----------------------

"So did you get the guy?" Kelly asked as she and her father had a beer down in the basement. The boat was done and now they just had to get it out of the basement.

"No, he got away from us," Gibbs said with a sigh. After a few moments, Gibbs looked at Kelly and asked, "You want to tell me why you don't like Holly?"

Kelly sighed. "She's an okay person, but… You really like her, don't you, Dad?"

"I do," Gibbs admitted. "But I don't want Holly to come between you and me, Kelly."

"I just… I guess it's just habit," Kelly said, sipping her beer. "I want you to be happy, Dad. And if you're happy with Colonel Mann… I guess I can learn to like her, too."

"You're always my number one, Kelly," Gibbs promised. "Always." After a moment, he asked, "So… What should we name the next boat?"

"You're serious?" Kelly laughed. "How many boats do you need?"

"It's not the finished project," Gibbs said, taking a long drink from his beer.

"It's what happens while you're making it," Kelly finished, toasting her father. "Okay… But first we have to get this boat out of the basement."


	6. Grace Period

AUTHOR'S NOTES: This was another challenging chapter in that the original episode was rife with emotion. I wanted to have Paula Cassidy and Kelly Gibbs a bit close—not as close as Kelly and Kate Todd, though. I also wanted to delve into Gibbs' guilt over asking for the weekend off.

I know there are some people who don't like the Gibbs/Hollis Mann pairing but I do like it so it's staying. Sorry.

Also, Kelly's speech at the end was something that just came to me. In case someone wonders where it came from.

Chapter 6

* * *

_**Grace Period**_

"Need out of weekend duty this week, Jen," Gibbs said as he walked up to his former lover who was standing on the catwalk above the squad room.

"Is there a reason you're not able to work a normal hotline shift?" Jen asked, raising a perfectly shaped eyebrow.

"Plans," Gibbs said, evasively.

"So because you've made plans for this weekend," Jen said, becoming curious. "You want me to ask Paula Cassidy's team to cancel their plans and work two weekends in a row?"

Gibbs sighed. "Please, Jen?"

Jen sighed before nodding. "Okay. But you owe me, Jethro."

"Sure, Jen," Gibbs said, with a smile.

----------

Sunday morning, Kelly woke bright and early and got dressed before grabbing her favorite sneakers and purse. Since she didn't have to worry about going in to work, she and Maddie had decided to go shopping for the day before meeting Tony and McGee for dinner and a movie.

In the kitchen, Maddie was already up and making coffee. "So your dad really said you're off today?" Maddie asked as she poured a cup of coffee for her best friend.

"Yep," Kelly replied, happily. "No crime scenes, no bodies… Just sales, smoothies, and really cute guys who will be buying us dinner."

After grabbing travel mugs, the two girls headed for Maddie's car and as they pulled out of the drive, Maddie asked, "So what's your dad doing this weekend?"

"Spending time with Lt. Col. Mann," Kelly said, flatly.

"You still don't like her, huh?"

Kelly shrugged as she checked to make sure she had her cards and plenty of cash. "She's okay. I don't know. Sometimes it's like I'm 13 again and she wants to be my friend… But then she understands that I'm an adult and I don't like her dating my dad."

"Well, then let's make that an off topic," Maddie suggested. "No talking about your dad's girlfriends."

"Or ex-wives," Kelly added, laughing. "Diane wanted me to babysit Emily tonight. I guess she's desperate or something." Waving the thought away, she said, "So… breakfast first?"

----

After shopping all morning, Maddie and Kelly decided to forgo a healthy lunch and opted for a small diner nearby where they both ordered chocolate shakes, double bacon cheeseburgers, and hot, crispy French fries.

"I could get used to this," Maddie said, grinning as she wiped off the juice and grease that had started dripping down her bare arm from her burger. "The two of us actually being able to do something fun like normal women our age. You not having to run off when your phone rings."

Kelly laughed as she finished off her fries. Holding up her milkshake glass, she said, "Here's to a wonderful weekend."

"I'll drink to that," Maddie agreed, toasting her best friend.

-------------

Gibbs was angry.

Angry that he'd just lost two good agents.

Angry that they were dead because of him…

And both angry and scared that it could have been _his_ team that was killed. His daughter. Walking into the squad room, Gibbs felt a surge of rage when he saw his team standing around. "Grab your gear!" He shouted, angrily as he charged towards the elevator.

"Sh-shouldn't we wait for Ke---?" Tony started to ask before being cut off by Gibbs.

"No!" Gibbs snapped at Tony who was looking a bit like a struck puppy. "Kelly's not coming. This isn't something she needs to be involved in right now." As the elevator doors closed, Gibbs wanted to smack the back of his own head for what he'd done to Cassidy. But at the same time, he also was grateful that it hadn't been _his_ team that was killed.

----

"There's this really great second hand furniture store," Maddie said as she and Kelly headed down the street. "I thought maybe we could find a new chair for…"

Kelly was about to ask why Maddie had trailed off but looking at the road blocks, she could see that there had been some kind of explosion in one of the shops. "Whoa…" Kelly said, looking at all the activity.

"What happened?" Maddie asked, not noticing the metro cop that had walked up to the open driver's side window.

"Sorry, ladies, but you're going to have to leave. This is a secured crime scene," the cop said, pointing to an off street nearby.

Maddie looked at Kelly who grabbed her purse and pulled out her NCIS ID and badge. Holding up the badge, Kelly asked, "What happened?"

The cop looked a bit surprised but he sighed. "It looks like a terrorist bombing."

Kelly put her badge away and checked that she had both her knife—her father's Rule #9: Always carry a knife.—and her backup .38 before getting out of the car. "See you at home, Maddie," Kelly said before following the metro cop to the blast site. As she got close to the vacant store, Kelly's heart started to race and she felt sick as she started smelling wet burnt flesh. Finally, as she got to 15 feet from the door way, she saw the bodies just as someone grabbed her shoulder, making her jump.

"You shouldn't be here," Tony said, giving Kelly a look.

"Tony, what the Hell happened?!" Kelly said, angrily.

"Paula Cassidy's team was attacked," Tony said, sadly. "Paula's… alive, but…"

"Oh, God," Kelly said, fighting the urge to scream, or throw up, or… something. "Um… Okay, do…. Was this a… a planned attack, or… or what?"

Tony put both hands on Kelly's shoulders and waited until her brown eyes met his. "Go home. Home to the apartment or home to Gibbs' place… I don't care. But you shouldn't be here for this."

"I'm not a kid, DiNozzo!" Kelly shouted, taking a step back. "Okay? Stop always trying to protect me!"

Tony's eyes chilled a bit and he nodded. "Okay. Grab a jacket and hat and come on in." Turning he went back to the vacant store and saw McGee looking at him. "She wants to be treated like any other agent," Tony explained.

"Gibbs doesn't want her involved in this," McGee protested.

"Kelly's been at NCIS since she was 10-years-old," Tony replied. "She's involved… No matter what the boss says."

--

But as Kelly pulled her hair back in a ponytail and pulled it through the hole in the back of the hat, she wished she hadn't gotten out of the car. She wished she could have just continued shopping… spending the day carefree… Taking a deep breath, Kelly tried to slip into 'agent mode' as she left the NCIS truck and walked back to the building. As she looked around, she tried to be objective… neutral… But seeing Paula Cassidy coming out looking like she was about to have a freak-out, Kelly went to her and led her to the truck.

"You shouldn't be here, Kelly," Paula said in a low voice as she sat down in the back of the truck.

"I'm NCIS," Kelly replied. "Where else should I be?"

"It's my fault," Paula sobbed. "I led my team into that slaughterhouse. I killed my team!"

"I know how you feel right now," Kelly said, sitting on one of the fingerprint kits.

"You've never killed anyone!" Paula snapped, angrily.

Kelly sighed. Her father never knew why she and her mother had been out that day. Kelly had never had the heart to tell him… "When I was 8… Mom and I were under NIS protection after Mom witnessed the murder of a marine."

"I know," Paula said, angrily. "I know you were in the car when your mother was killed. I know you're trying to make me feel better, but—"

"I was bored in the house," Kelly went on. "I begged, demanded… I wanted to get out and do something. Go to the park… the mall… something. Finally Mom agreed that we could go to the library to pick up a couple of movies. _I_ was the reason we were in that car… Because of me that agent was killed… along with my mother." Taking Paula's hand, Kelly felt tears in her eyes. "I know how you feel."

"We shouldn't have had hotline duty two weeks in a row," Paula said, angrily. "It shouldn't have been us."

"Paula," Kelly said, waiting until the other woman met her gaze. "We will find who did this… and we will kill them. I promise."

"You can't promise that," Paula said, shaking her head.

Kelly squeezed Paula's hand and asked, "What's my last name?"

After a moment, Paula said, "Gibbs."

Kelly nodded. "We will find these bastards… and when we do, then you can grieve. Okay?"

Paula nodded as she stood up along with Kelly. "Okay."

"Okay," Kelly said, giving the other agent a hug. "Now… Let's go find out what's going on."

As they left the truck, Kelly saw her father coming from the vacant store looking oddly calm. "Uh, Paula, maybe you should go help the others."

Paula saw Jethro Gibbs coming and nodded, leaving father and daughter alone.

Once back in the truck, Gibbs looked at Kelly with concern. "You okay?"

"You're not going to yell at me for being here?" Kelly asked, curious.

"You wanted to help," Gibbs replied. "I'm not going to yell at you for wanting to do your job."

Kelly looked at her father, a question popping up in her mind although she wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer. "Paula said that she and her team weren't supposed to work the hotline this weekend." Licking her lips, she asked, "Who was?"

"It doesn't matter," Gibbs said, trying to dodge the question.

"Dad, who was supposed to be in there?!" Kelly shouted.

"We were," Gibbs said, coolly. "I asked Jen to get us out of it."

"Why?" Kelly asked, feeling tears in her eyes. "What was it? You had a gut feeling? Someone tipped you off? You didn't want us to die so you let two other agents get killed? What?!"

Gibbs sighed and said, "Holly and I wanted to spend the weekend together. She was free… so I asked Jen to let us out of weekend duty."

Kelly wasn't sure what to say to that but she let out a choked laugh before she threw her arms around her father in a hug. After a moment, she took off the NCIS hat and jacket. "Look, I… I know you could use the help, but…"

"Go," Gibbs said with a nod. "We can handle this."

Kelly nodded and left the truck before going to the roadblock and heading away from the street.

-------

The cemetery was quiet as Kelly approached one of the graves with an armful of flowers. It was a bouquet she picked up every year from the same florist containing both flowers of meaning, fresh sprigs of rosemary, and her mother's favorite: lilies.

(A/N: Shakespeare called rosemary the herb of rememberance.)

Kneeling down by her mother's grave, Kelly lay down the bouquet and said, "We almost saw each other again too soon, Mom." Kelly smiled as she thought of Colonel Mann. "You can thank Dad's new girlfriend. If it hadn't been for her… I'm sorry, Mom. I'm sorry we were out that day," Kelly cried. "If I hadn't bugged you so much we wouldn't have been out that day and…" But she stopped and sniffled as she started thinking. "But if you were here… maybe Dad and I would have been killed. Maybe… Maybe it was meant to be like this… You had to die… so Dad and I could live…" Sitting on the grass on a perfect fall afternoon, Kelly smiled. "I miss you, Mom. So does Dad. We finished the last boat… Named it after you. I know you think it's stupid to be constantly building boats in the basement but Dad told me it's not the finished project. It's what happens while you're making it." After a few minutes of sitting in silence, Kelly stood. "See you soon, Mom. And… if you see Kate… Tell her we miss her."

-------

Fear wasn't an emotion Jennifer Shepard was comfortable with. She liked to be compassionate… angry… concerned…

But fear made her feel weak. And she wasn't weak.

James Nelson had been married only two months and now his wife, Amy, was a widow.

Jenny hated this. She hated having to call people telling them that their loved ones weren't going to come home. Hearing a light knock on the door, Jenny looked up. "Come in."

Kelly opened the door and sat down in one of the chairs. "Ducky says the… the bomber was dead at least one day before the blast…" Looking at Jenny's expression Kelly shook her head. "I shouldn't have… I'd apologize, but…"

"I won't tell Jethro," Jenny said with a slight smile.

"We were really supposed to work the hotline?" Kelly asked, hoping that her father had been lying.

Jenny nodded. "Jethro asked me to let you guys out of it. If I hadn't…"

"You and I could have lost Dad," Kelly pointed out.

"We're not in Iraq or Afghanistan," Jenny said, trying to be angry about this instead of sad and fearful. "Our people aren't supposed to be killed by suicide bombers."

"Or by Hamas terrorists?" Kelly said, quietly.

"That was different," Jenny said, a bit defensively. "That was personal."

"And this is personal for us," Kelly replied, standing. "We need to find these terrorists and eliminate them." Looking at her friend, Kelly added, "Get angry… and get things moving."

"You sound like Jethro," Jenny said as she smiled.

"I learned from the best," Kelly said, returning the smile as she left the office.

----------

For the first time in a long time, Gibbs didn't feel like working on the boat as he sat in the basement with a glass of bourbon. Holly had called but Gibbs didn't want to pick up.

"Dad?"

Looking up as Kelly came down the stairs, Gibbs sighed. "You okay?"

Kelly didn't reply until she was standing next to the boat frame. "I, uh… I know I haven't… I've…" After a moment, she sighed. "I owe you an apology, Dad."

"For what?" Gibbs asked, studying his daughter.

"For how I've been acting with you and… and Col. Mann," Kelly replied. "I know you like her, and… and she likes you… She reminds me of…"

"Shannon," Gibbs finished.

Kelly nodded as she walked around the boat frame. "I remember how hard Mom's death was… and I… I know how hard it was on you. I just don't want you to get hurt again."

"So why do you owe me an apology?" Gibbs asked.

Kelly ran a hand over the rough wood. "Because the way I've been acting since the two of you got together. Because I've been… well, bitchy lately when we've had to work with Col. Mann on cases… But if it wasn't for her… You and I could both be dead." After a moment, she added, "I know a small part of you blames her… If the two of you hadn't been so eager to spend time together Agents Hall and Nelson would still be alive." Walking over to her father and looking him in the eye she said, firmly, "It's not your fault, Dad. Okay? This isn't your fault." Hugging her father, Kelly repeated the words one more time as she felt him hug her. "It's not your fault, Dad."

-------------

The next day, as Kelly stepped into the empty store with Paula Cassidy and Tony, she could still feel as though the souls of the dead were there. Remembering how she felt when her mother was killed, Kelly closed her eyes and whispered, "Dear friends who we have lost… souls that have stayed with us in life… guide us now in death. Protect us from missteps… so that we need not join you before our time."

"What's that from?" Paula asked, curiously.

Kelly opened her eyes and smiled at the other agent. "It was… just something I read once… It was after Mom's death and… I… I liked it."

"That was beautiful," Tony agreed as he started looking around the room.

"Thanks," Kelly nodded, looking at the walls as well. After a moment, she looked over at Tony. "You know, you really do need to tell her, Tony."

"Tell who?" Paula asked as she stood near the door.

"It's nothing," Tony insisted.

"His girlfriend," Kelly said, running a gloved hand over the wall.

"Tell her what?" Paula asked, curiosity mingling with annoyance.

Tony sighed. "Her name is Jeanne. We were on this rock climbing wall… and she made a little bet. First to the top got to say 'I love you'."

"You lost on purpose," Paula guessed, knowing how Tony was with commitment.

"No, I won, actually," Tony corrected. "I do love her, Paula. But I couldn't say it."

Paula sighed as she looked at Tony. She could hear in his voice that he genuinely loved this woman—Jeanne. "You know it's a cliché, Tony, but it's true," she said, as Tony turned to look at her. "Life's too short to tell someone you love them if you do."

"It's a bit more complicated than that, Paula," Tony replied.

"Why?" Paula asked. "You love this woman! And Nelson and Hall? What if instead of them it had been you, McGee, and Ziva? Life's too short, Tony. It's too short to have any regrets."

"What about you?" Tony asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. "What do you regret?"

Paula thought about that and although she could rattle off about 20 things off the bat, she only had one true regret at the moment. "That I let Director Shepard make the duty switch," she said, not looking at Kelly or Tony.

--

After about an hour, Kelly looked at Tony and Paula. "Hey, come feel this." Tony felt the wall by where Kelly was and frowned. "What exactly am I supposed to be feeling?"

"This part of the wall is different," Paula replied. "It doesn't feel like brick."

Tony stepped back and studied the wall. "Give me an hour. I'll be back."

When Tony left, Paula leaned against the wall and slowly slid down. Looking at Kelly, she said, "About what I said… About regrets…"

"Don't worry about it," Kelly insisted as she sat with her back to the opposite wall, facing Paula.

"No, really," Paula said, adamantly. "If you guys had been killed… I would have felt guilty that I hadn't taken the shift."

"It doesn't matter who was killed, Paula," Kelly concluded. "I think we all would have felt the same." After a moment, she said, "You know, after Tony and Kate… you're my favorite agent."

"Really?" Paula asked, a bit surprised.

"You liked having me around," Kelly shrugged. "A lot of the agents never liked me hanging around all the time."

"I could tell that you and Gibbs were close," Paula replied. "You wanted to spend time with him. So… what were you doing this weekend?"

--

When Tony came back, he pulled out a cigar and two candy bars. "For the ladies," he said, tossing one bar to Paula and the other to Kelly.

"What's the cigar for?" Paula asked as she got to her feet.

But instead of replying, Tony grinned and lit the cigar before going to the wall and blowing smoke on the spot Kelly had found earlier.

When she saw the smoke being sucked into the wall, Kelly stood and went over, looking amazed. "That's… that's cool," she said, as Tony grinned. "I'm going to check the space next door. See if we can't shed some light on how this guy got out unscathed." Once Kelly left the empty space she decided to take her time so that Tony and Paula could talk. Going to the abandoned store next door, Kelly made sure she had a few evidence bags in her pocket before donning a fresh pair of gloves and looking around for evidence. After bagging what looked like the lens from a pair of sunglasses Kelly went to the wall that separated the store from where the bomb had gone off. Finding the difference in the wall, Kelly pushed and was surprised when the wall move, revealing a doorway. "Cool," she mused, pulling out her small pocket camera and snapping a few pictures. Looking at Paula and Tony, she frowned as she said, "You two okay?"

"Other than you just scared us half to death, we're fine," Tony said with a sigh.

Kelly walked back into Tony and Paula's side of the space and jumped when the door slammed shut a second later. "Okay. Now we know how the guy you saw go into the building came out." Pulling out the evidence bag, she added, "Let's hope Abby can pull a print off of this."

----------------

As Gibbs worked on cleaning his gun in the basement, he didn't look up when he heard someone coming down the stairs. But when he heard Holly's voice, Gibbs didn't want to look at her. He didn't want to think that it was because of this woman two good agents were dead.

"I got an interesting call from Kelly today. She actually asked me if I could check on you," Holly said as she set down the bag of Chinese food. When Gibbs didn't respond, she sighed. "Jethro, I know you don't want to talk about what happened… But it wasn't your fault."

"It was almost my team in that building, Holly," Gibbs said as he walked over to where Holly was setting out the food. "Tony… Ziva… Tim might have been nearby keeping an eye on things with Kelly. And I feel guilty because… part of me was relieved that it wasn't _my_ team that was killed."

"Jethro, no one could have known what was going to happen," Holly insisted. "There's no way you could have prevented this. And if your agents had been killed you would feel as guilty as Agent Cassidy _and_ you would have blamed your director for not letting you out of the weekend duty."

Gibbs nodded as he grabbed a pair of chopsticks and digging into the food. He knew Holly was right but he was still angry at himself. "I just don't know what to do anymore, Hol. Sometimes… I think about going back to Mexico… Lying on a beach… drinking beer…"

"I understand," Holly replied, as she started eating. "I'm coming on my 20-year mark… and I've been thinking of retiring. Settling down… making time for the people in my life…" After she and Gibbs ate in silence for a few moments, Holly smiled. "When this is over… next weekend… Let's go down to Mexico. Just the two of us. Leave Friday… come back Monday." Setting her food down, she smiled. "Drink beer… lie on the beach… fall asleep in each other's arms…"

"Sounds good," Gibbs said as he leaned over the table to kiss Holly. "But first we have to catch these guys."

----------------

Kelly had never felt completely comfortable firing a gun, especially at another person. Even if that person was a terrorist that had killed two NCIS agents. But as she walked into Kertek Computing with McGee, Ziva, Paula, and her father, Kelly felt a rush of excitement. Dropping back so that she could check the main entrance, Kelly checked that her gun was in easy reach. When she saw the suspected terrorist running towards her, Kelly drew her weapon and took her stance. "NCIS! Freeze!"

But the other man drew his own weapon and Kelly took aim and fired a single shot through his shoulder, making him fall back.

"Kelly!" Gibbs said as he ran up followed by Ziva and Paula.

"You okay?" McGee said as Kelly leaned against the wall, still panting.

"Uh-huh," Kelly nodded as she looked down at Salman Umar. "Fine."

"Okay, come on," Paula said, holstering her weapon and putting an arm around Kelly. "You did good."

"I did?" Kelly said, her heart still pounding. She'd shot _at_ people before but she'd never actually hit someone that close before.

"Yeah," Paula replied, sitting Kelly down in an empty chair. "You going to be okay?"

Kelly took a breath and nodded. "Yes. Go. I'm okay." But as she sat there, still holding her weapon, Kelly still felt her adrenaline pumping. But while she could still feel the fear, she could also still feel that rush. It was her first hit up close. And she'd done well. Maybe she could do this after all.

-------------------

The morning of the Muslim peace conference, Kelly dressed somberly since the conference organizers wanted to hold a memorial for NCIS Agents Hall and Nelson where they had been killed. While the rest of the team was helping set up, Kelly went to Paula who looked like she wanted to cry but she was trying to stay strong. "It's okay to cry," Kelly said, gently.

"Sometimes I wonder if I can keep doing this job," Paula replied. "You know you can lose friends… partners… even your own life. But you're never prepared for it when it happens."

"No…" Kelly agreed. "No, you can never be ready for something like this."

"Listen, I… Can I ask you a favor?" Paula asked, looking hopefully at Kelly.

"Sure," Kelly replied.

"That… that thing you said before. That prayer or… Could you say it at Hall and Nelson's funerals?" Paula asked.

"Of course," Kelly promised, taking the other woman's hand. "It would be my pleasure." She turned quickly when she heard the secret door open and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Ziva coming through.

"That is really quite clever," Ziva said with a smile as she stepped into the room. "This side is clear." But when the door slammed shut, Ziva whirled around, one hand on her weapon.

"I didn't think anything could make you jump, Officer David," Paula said, giving the other woman a smile.

"That was merely a reflex," Ziva replied.

"In America, we call that jumping," Paula said with a smirk.

"In Mossad," Ziva countered. "We call it the difference between life and death."

Paula's smirk faded as she took that into consideration. "I-I'm just, uh… going to let Gibbs know we're all clear."

Once Paula had left, Ziva looked at Tony who was looking around the room. "Is something wrong?"

"It was supposed to be us," Tony replied. He didn't want to add what he was thinking which was that it _should_ have been them.

"But it wasn't us," Ziva said, gently.

"Nope," Tony agreed. "Not this time."

As the senior Muslim clerics sat down, Kelly looked over at Paula who was talking with Gibbs.

"Miss Gibbs?" One of the conference organizers, Nakir Eschel said as he touched the young woman's arm. "Are you alright?"

Kelly looked at him and nodded. "I asked my father once… how you make peace with people you don't like. He said that… sometimes people can set aside their differences and fight a common enemy. But sometimes… you just can't convince other people that they're wrong."

The older man smiled, knowing how the young woman felt. "May I share some wisdom my grandmother told me?" He asked.

Kelly nodded, eagerly. "By all means."

"She said that right and wrong are a matter of belief and opinion," Nakir said, sagely.

"You believe some things are good and therefore other things are wrong," Kelly concluded. "Which explains how suicide bombers justify their actions."

"But as your American lawyers say," Nakir added with a smile. "You can rationalize almost anything these days."

Kelly smiled at that and as she looked around, something started to feel off. Something was wrong. It… No… Not wrong. Missing. "Where's the other man you were with before?" Kelly asked, catching her father's eye.

"Jamal Malik," Gibbs said, catching on. Looking at Ziva, he said, "Ziva, it's Malik. Find him!"

But no one had to look far. The wall-door opened, revealing the missing terrorist who was wearing a bomb.

'_The difference between life and death.'_ Ziva's words rang in Paula's ears and without thinking, she rushed the bomber, tackling him just as the wall slammed shut.

"Paula!" Tony said, rushing the door. Hoping that this time he could open it from his side.

On her side of the wall, Paula saw Malik's thumb depress the button on the detonator and in the few microseconds before the bomb went off, Paula saw Hall and Nelson standing there… ready to welcome their boss to what lay beyond life.

On the other side of the wall, the blast resonated, and some of the debris from the already unstable roof fell.

Kelly stepped back, her leg bumping the table and she felt her knees give out as she slumped to the floor.

Tony was still leaning against the wall and Gibbs looked disbelieving as he turned to Kelly who was being helped up and to an extra chair by Ziva. And as one of the senior Sunni clerics started a prayer in Arabic, Gibbs could have sworn he saw Tony crying as he still leaned against the wall.

-------

Tony couldn't have said how long he'd driven around Virginia and D.C.

He couldn't even say how he somehow found Jeanne's apartment. But when he knocked on the door, Paula's words kept repeating in his mind. _'Life's too short.'_ Tomorrow he'd worry about the consequences… the long list of reasons why falling in love with Jeanne had been a bad idea.

"Tony," Jeanne said as she saw Tony standing there.

'_I was an idiot… I'm sorry… I couldn't face my own feelings… There's nothing more important to me than you…'_ Hundreds of ways to say the words ran through Tony's mind but as he stared at the woman he'd loved more than any other, he found that the words came out on their own. "I love you, Jeanne." As he hugged her, Tony wanted to hold on to this woman forever. _'You don't deserve her,'_ a small voice in his head reminded him.

But as Jeanne kissed him, those doubts didn't matter. The mission didn't matter.

All that mattered was this.

-------------------

Paula's funeral was held the day after Hall and Nelson's and even though Jenny had offered to give a eulogy, Kelly had insisted.

In Arlington Cemetery, Kelly stood before the crowd and started speaking. "We all want to live in a world where we don't have to fear for our loved ones. Where we know they'll come home safe. Where we can understand why things happen. But we live in this world… Where lately loss has become a fact of life. There was… a prayer I found shortly after my mother's death… Paula… heard some of it and… and in her memory… I'd like to recite it in its entirety." Taking a moment, Kelly went on. "Dear friends who we have lost… souls that have stayed with us in life… guide us now in death. Be our comfort when we're alone. Give us voice when we are afraid to speak. Give us forgiveness when we cannot find it in ourselves. May the ones we love never truly leave us and may we find the blessings they leave us each day. May the grace of those departed save us from ourselves… and protect us from missteps… so that we need not join them before our time." As Kelly looked over crowds of federal agents, friends, and even some of the members the Muslim Coalition for Peace she could swear she saw Paula standing in the far back with Kate Todd.

--

After the service, Kelly found Col. Mann and said, "I wanted to thank you. For… For loving Dad… and for saving his life."

Holly smiled at the younger woman. "So does this mean you approve of me dating your father?"

"Yeah," Kelly replied. "Life is… too short. You make Dad happy… He makes you happy. Who am I to stand in the way of that?" Holding out a hand, she said, "Friends?"

Holly nodded shook Kelly's hand. "Friends."

----------

Getting back to her apartment, Kelly found a note from Maddie saying that she would be out having dinner with her mother and uncle.

Collapsing on the couch, Kelly sighed when she heard the phone ring. Grabbing it and turning it on, she said, "Kelly Gibbs."

"You okay?" Josh Cooper asked, sounding concerned. "I heard about those NCIS agents. I wanted to see if you were okay. I… I was… kind of thinking of you today."

"Really?" Kelly asked, smiling a bit. "What made you think of me?"

Josh laughed. "It's… you'll think it's stupid."

"Tell me," Kelly insisted as she kicked off her shoes.

"They're doing some remodeling and… I… the smell of the sawdust made me think of you," Josh said before pausing for a moment. Waiting for Kelly to start laughing…

"You doing anything this weekend?" Kelly asked, feeling spontaneous.

"Just schoolwork," Josh replied. "Why?"

"You want to meet halfway?" Kelly suggested. "Catch up?"

"Sounds like a plan," Josh replied. "Any place in particular?"

Kelly laughed and said, "Let's play it by ear, shall we? So… How's college life?"


	7. Angel of Death & Bury Your Dead

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Again this wasn't an easy chapter to write. The middle of this chapter came first and I had to write the story around it. Not sure what the next episode will be yet.

Remember to read, review, and show your love!

Chapter 7

* * *

_**Angel of Death & Bury Your Dead**_

The turbulence of the plane jostled Kelly out of a sound sleep and she looked out the window and smiled at the familiar sight of Washington, D.C.. Even though it had been fun being in France with Jenny, it would be even nicer to be home.

"Think NCIS survived with Dad in charge?" Kelly asked Jenny with a smile.

"I'm sure everything is fine," Jenny assured her. "And I'm glad you came."

"Oh, because I kept a bunch of international cops from flirting with you the whole time?" Kelly replied with a laugh.

"There's that," Jenny nodded. "But also it was nice to have someone who understands the importance of shopping in Paris."

"I really had fun," Kelly said with a smile. "It was nice to get away for a while."

"So tell me about you and Agent DiNozzo," Jenny said after a few moments.

Kelly sighed and as the plane started towards the runway she said, "Can we talk over a drink back at your place? It's… complicated."

"Is this something that will affect the two of you working together?" Jenny wanted to know.

"No," Kelly assured her.

"I hope not," the NCIS director replied. "I'd hate to have to take you off Gibbs' team."

----------

"Is there a reason you keep looking at your watch, Tony?" Ziva asked as she sat at her desk looking at her partner.

"The Director's flight landed 15 minutes ago," Tony said, looking at his watch.

"And likely she'll go home," Ziva added, still confused. After a moment, though, she smiled. "Unless it's not the director you're eager to see."

Tony glared at her before getting up. "I'm going to the airport."

"What for, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked, coming into the squad room.

"To… make sure the Director's flight is…" Tony sat back down. "No reason, boss."

"Where's McGee?" Gibbs asked as he noticed the other agent was missing.

"He is in the lab with Abby," Ziva replied.

As he stood again, Tony asked, "Boss, should I maybe go pick Kelly up?"

"Jenny said she'd drop Kelly off here before she headed home," Gibbs replied, walking up to his top senior agent and looking him in the eye. "Any particular reason you're so interested in my daughter, DiNozzo?"

"Just want to make sure she gets home okay," Tony replied, trying to keep his face as straight and expressionless as possible.

"Uh-huh," Gibbs replied, a slight tinge of doubt in his voice. "Is there something going on with the two of you I should know about?"

"No, boss," Tony assured him.

"Why don't I believe you?" Gibbs said with a slight smile.

-------------

After arriving at Jenny Shepard's townhouse, the director led Kelly into the study and poured her a drink. "I've always been surprised you never picked up your father's bourbon habit," Jenny said as she poured a drink for herself.

"Honestly, I prefer a good beer to hard liquor," Kelly admitted, taking the glass of scotch.

As the two women sat down, Jenny asked, "So… You and Agent DiNozzo?"

Kelly sipped her drink. "A few weeks ago… We… had… something of an encounter."

"What kind of encounter?" Jenny asked, curiously.

"We'd gone out to a bar… just for a couple beers and a pizza… One thing turned into another… before we knew it, we were in my car… making out," Kelly replied.

"Did the two of you…?"

"Sleep together?" Kelly finished, throwing back the rest of her drink. "No. Almost… but no."

"Kelly—"

"I know, it's stupid," Kelly said, angry with herself. "But… I just had to get away for a while."

"I understand," Jenny said, with a smile. "Believe me. But you need to handle this before it becomes a problem."

"In the morning," Kelly promised, standing up and putting the glass on the desk next to an open bottle of scotch. "See you later."

"Did you want a ride?" Jenny asked, giving bottle on the desk a long look.

"No," Kelly said, looking strangely at the bottle on the desk before looking at Jenny. "You okay?"

"Fine," Jenny insisted, looking at Kelly. "I'll see you in the morning."

Kelly nodded and headed for the front door, wondering what was going on.

----------

Walking into the NCIS squad room with her shopping bag of goodies, Kelly frowned when she noticed that everyone was gone. Going down to Abby's lab, Kelly noticed that it, too, was empty and going down the hall, she found Ducky and Jimmy Palmer missing as well. After leaving Ducky and Palmer's presents, Kelly headed back to the squad room and placed packages at Ziva, McGee, and Tony's desks before heading out and down to where she'd left her car before leaving for Paris.

As she headed down the road, she pulled out her cell phone and tried calling Abby. After a couple rings, the forensic scientist finally picked up.

"Hey!" Abby said, brightly. "Where are you?"

"Leaving the Navy Yard," Kelly said as she turned into the parking lot of a coffee shop and parked. "Where are you guys?"

"Just having a drink. Why don't you join us?" Abby asked.

"Sure. Which bar?" Kelly asked, looking around.

"Halligan's," Abby replied. "Ducky and Palmer are here, too."

"Be there in a few," Kelly replied before hanging up and heading to the bar where she parked next to Ducky's vintage Morgan. Once inside she saw Ziva, McGee, Michelle Lee, Ducky, and Palmer at the bar. Walking up to the bar, she said, "Can I get a beer, please?"

"You got it, Kelly," The bartender said with a smile.

"How was Paris?" Abby asked, brightly.

"Fabulous," Kelly said, getting her drink. "Good food, really cute guys… It was nice." Looking around, she asked, "Where's Tony? Out with his girlfriend?"

"He promised he would meet us here," Ziva said, looking a bit drunk. "But he has not come by yet." Looking at Kelly, she asked, "What is with the two of you?"

"Excuse me?" Kelly asked, taking a swig of her beer.

"The two of you have been acting very… very strangely lately," Ziva explained. "And then you jump up and volunteer to go with the Director to Paris… Something is going on."

Noticing that everyone was looking at her, Kelly sighed. But before she could reply, Palmer and Lee excused themselves rather hastily and both Abby and McGee's beepers went off. Within a matter of moments, Kelly was left alone with Ducky and Ziva both of whom looked curious. Sitting on one of the abandoned barstools, Kelly again sighed. "Before I left… I did something I… probably shouldn't have done."

"And it involves Tony," Ziva deduced.

"Did the two of you…?" Ducky looked like he wanted to be straightforward and ask the question but he also didn't want to pry.

"We had… I don't know what you'd call it," Kelly replied. "We kissed… groped…" Looking nervous and embarrassed, she added, "Clothes were starting to come off…"

"Oh, my," Ducky said, looking concerned.

"It was so stupid!" Kelly went on. "I was going to give Tony a kiss on the cheek but he turned his head and I kissed him on the lips… I know he's got a girlfriend and everything, but… But I really enjoyed it. I mean _really_."

"I take it your father is unaware of this," Ziva said, throwing back the last of her drink.

"Would Tony still be breathing if Dad knew?" Kelly replied, burying her face in her hands. "I don't know what to do."

"My dear, I had a feeling it would happen eventually," Ducky said with a smile.

"What?" Ziva said, frowning as Kelly looked up and said, "Huh?"

Ducky smiled at Kelly and said, "The past year I have noticed more and more that you and Tony have been growing closer. And while he is still protective of you, Tony seems to be looking at you less like a sister and more like a woman."

"Don't forget McGee's book!" Ziva piped up. "When Agent Tommy and Carrie Tibbs—"

"Okay!" Kelly said, a bit louder than she'd intended. "Okay. But what do I do now?"

"I would recommend talking with Tony," Ducky said, simply. "Because even if there is nothing between the two of you I know neither of you would want this to interfere with your working together."

"Yeah," Kelly agreed, finishing off her first beer and ordering another. "Yeah…"

----------------

The next morning, Kelly awoke with a hangover and although she wanted to just spend the day in bed, she managed to drag herself up and after taking a couple hours to look more human, she headed to NCIS where she found Ziva looking only slightly better. "Hey," Kelly said with a yawn. "How are you doing?"

"Like someone is using my head as a tuba," Ziva said, in a low voice.

"Drum," Kelly corrected, showing her badge to the guard at the door before walking through the metal detector.

"That, too," Ziva replied. "What are you doing here?"

"Probably the same thing you're doing here," Kelly said, giving the Israeli a look. "You're worried about Tony."

"Yes," Ziva agreed as she and Kelly got on the elevator. "Because he is my partner. Why are you worried about him?"

"The… what happened aside… Tony's the closest thing I have to a brother," Kelly replied. "Something… doesn't feel right."

"So it is not just me," Ziva said, feeling a bit relieved that she wasn't crazy.

"Tony's in trouble," Kelly said as the elevator reached their floor. "I can feel it."

In the squad room, Kelly went straight to her computer and started working on tracking Tony's movements when she heard McGee say, "Hey, thanks for the jacket."

"Huh?" Kelly said looking up.

"The jacket you left on my desk?" McGee said, frowning, slightly.

"Right…" Kelly said, shaking her head. "Sorry, I, uh… Never mind. Hey, you wouldn't happen to know the number of Tony's other cell phone, would you?"

"Nope," McGee replied, going back to his desk.

"You and Dad were here all night?" Kelly asked, noticing the detritus from Chinese take-out.

"Yeah. I was… doing stuff," McGee replied, evasively.

"Hacking?" Kelly guessed.

"Yes," McGee said, a bit distracted as he went back to his computer.

"FBI?"

"CIA," McGee said before looking up. "Uh…"

"This have anything to do with NCIS being polygraphed?" Kelly asked.

"Don't know," McGee replied, honestly. "I'm still working on it."

"Working on what, McGee?" Jenny said as she came into the room looking like she'd just seen a ghost.

"Just… stuff," McGee said, evasively.

"The CIA is spearheading the polygraph fishing expedition apparently," Kelly said. "By the way… do you have any idea why Tony's suddenly missing? We tried his regular cell phone and his home phone. Nothing."

Jenny looked hesitant but finally she said, "McGee, I need you to triangulate his cell phone. 202-555-0177."

"I knew it," Kelly said, feeling her gut squirm. "Tony's in trouble."

"The woman DiNozzo has been seeing," Jenny said, feeling Gibbs' stare boring into her. "Jeanne Benoit… is La Grenouille's daughter."

"What?" Kelly said, floored. "You… Did you know about this? I mean was this an assignment or…?"

"You were planning on telling us at some point," Gibbs said in a tone that made it clear that it wasn't a question.

"If it led to her father, yes," Jenny replied.

"Yeah? And did it?" Gibbs asked, feeling his anger rise. He loved Jenny… But if she put one of his agents in harm's way…

"I don't know," Jenny admitted, not wanting to meet Gibbs' eyes.

"Mind telling us what you _do_ know, Director?" Kelly said as she stood from her desk.

To Jenny, the cool tone in Kelly's voice hurt more than any look Leroy Jethro Gibbs could give her. "Tony just contacted me using his alias's cell," she explained. "It was a prearranged signal used only in an emergency if he thought his cover had been blown." When the cell phone grid came up, she added, "I want this fed to MTAC and I want satellite coverage."

"On it's way," McGee replied, sending the information before heading up to MTAC with Gibbs, Kelly, Ziva, and Jenny.

Once McGee brought up the traffic cameras, Kelly felt something growing in the pit of her stomach. This wasn't good… this was bad… Very, very—

At first she thought she imagined it.

An explosion.

A car being blown to pieces.

Tony's car.

"No!" Kelly shouted, looking at the picture in horror. "Oh, my God. Oh, God. No!" Pacing frantically, she tried to breathe… tried to think… She wasn't sure who pulled her into a hug but she held on. After a moment, she heard a soft voice murmuring in Hebrew and Kelly started crying on Ziva's shoulder.

"We need to go to the crime scene," Ziva said, quietly.

The crime scene…

The words echoed in Kelly's mind. It was worse than losing Kate… Losing Paula Cassidy… Kelly had always looked at Tony as an older brother… a friend… This couldn't really be happening… could it?

----------

Getting out of her father's car as they parked on the street, Kelly tried to mentally recite the prayer she'd read at Paula's funeral but it was no use. Seeing Tony's beloved Mustang… now burnt wreckage… There were no words of comfort to be spoken. No hope Kelly could offer to the others…

Everything seemed to move in slow motion as Kelly followed the others to the car and all she could do was pray that she had the strength for this… and that maybe… someday… she would stop hating and blaming Jenny Shepard for killing Tony.

"McGee!" Gibbs shouted, looking at the burnt out wreckage and then at the other agent. It wasn't a shout of anger, but of trying to get the other man's attention. While McGee took pictures, Gibbs looked at Kelly. He could see that she was trying not to fall apart and as she looked over at Jenny, Gibbs could tell his daughter wanted to start shouting at the NCIS Director. But anger would have to wait… Until the people responsible were found.

Although she tried not to look at the body in the car, When Kelly saw Ducky and Palmer removing Tony's corpse, she ran to the grass and fell to her knees, throwing up before starting to cry.

"It might not be Tony," McGee said as he went to Kelly and knelt down next to her as she wiped her mouth and hugged him. "Miracles happen, you know."

"McGee…" Ziva said quietly.

Helping Kelly up, McGee saw that Ziva held something… something she didn't want to look at. Taking the item, McGee saw it was Tony's ID and NCIS badge. Putting his arm around Kelly as she started crying again, McGee felt like crying himself.

----------

Back in Abby's lab, Kelly was grateful when she heard Abby say, "Tony's not dead, Gibbs. Not till Ducky says it's him. Even if all the evidence says it's him… It's not true until Ducky says it's him."

Gibbs looked at Kelly who had pulled on gloves and was holding Tony's badge and ID. He wanted to give the two women some hope… But he also couldn't lie…

"It's not him, Gibbs," Abby insisted. Looking up, she threw her arms around him and said, "Tell me it's not him."

"I wish I could, Abbs," Gibbs said, hugging Abby before going to Kelly. "if you want to go home…"

"No," Kelly said, firmly. "I-I'm not going anywhere. I have to be here, Dad."

Gibbs gave her a hug before saying, "I'll be with McGee and Ziva upstairs."

Kelly nodded and pulled away before going to help Abby process the evidence. She couldn't think about this… But she could do her job… and pray for a miracle.

--

Ziva wasn't sure why she was sitting down at Tony's desk… or why she was about to cry when she saw a collection of creature flicks dubbed in French. All those times Tony quoted this movie or imitated that actor… Now she'd never hear that kind of banter again. Picking up Tony's letter opener, she smiled. It had good balance, good feel…

Looking over at Kelly's desk, Ziva felt angry at herself for not protecting Tony. For not being there to save him. As much as Kelly and Tony seemed to be as close as siblings, the past year there had been something more. The way they laughed at each other's jokes… when they found out about McGee's book…

It wasn't fair. Good men like Tony were supposed to get the girl, catch the bad guy, save the world.

They weren't supposed to be blown up by international arms dealers.

--

Walking into Autopsy, Kelly tried not to look at the body on the slab as she said, "Abby… wanted to know if you had the, uh… The-the…"

"The dental x-rays?" Ducky said, looking up. "They are on the desk over there," he said, pointing before turning back to the body. But after a cursory examination of the lungs, he straightened up a bit. "Yesenio Pestis. Y. Pestis."

"The pneumonic plague?" Kelly said as she looked at the coroner. "That's what Tony had… Wait." Setting the dental x-rays down on a table, Kelly felt a sudden surge of hope. "Ducky… Tell me this body had the plague."

"This man's lungs are pristine with minimal scarring," Ducky replied, a smile spreading on his face. "He's never had the plague."

"He never had the damn plague!" Kelly shouted, ecstatic. "It's not Tony!"

Smiling, Ducky said, "I'd say that's a very safe wager." After receiving a hug from Kelly, Ducky turned to Palmer. "Finish up, Mr. Palmer. I'll be back momentarily."

Beaming, Kelly ran for the door, skipping the elevator and running up the stairs and into the squad room arriving just as the elevator doors opened revealing Ducky. "It's not Tony!" Kelly exclaimed when she saw her father standing with Jenny, Ziva, and McGee.

"Kelly," McGee said, sadly. "It was his badge—"

"The body down in autopsy—that man never had pnemonic plague!" Kelly said happily.

"It's true, Timothy," Ducky said as he came up. "Look, Tony contracted pnemonic plague. As I'm sure everyone can remember."

"Before my time, Ducky," Ziva said, although she couldn't believe that she was actually happy her partner had had such a serious illness. But if it meant that Tony was alive…

"Tony almost died from severe pneumonia," Kelly explained.

"Yes, and as a result, Tony's lungs would have been heavily scarred," Ducky added. "Unlike the almost pristine lungs of the man currently lying in Autopsy. The body on which I am performing an autopsy is not Tony's."

"Then who is it?" Jenny asked, becoming even more puzzled.

"And where the hell is DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked.

While McGee tried to track the shell company that leased the limo Tony's car had been following, Kelly paced the squad room. Tony was alive but where was he? What had happened? Who had been driving his car? Stopping as she heard the elevator she turned and when she saw CIA operative Trent Kort, Kelly's anger bubbled over and she stormed over, balling up a fist and punching the man in the jaw making him stagger into the wall.

"Kelly!" Ziva said, pulling the younger woman off Kort.

"Where is he?" Kort demanded as he looked at Gibbs and Jenny.

"La Grenouille?" Kelly asked, as she tried to pull out of Ziva's grip. "No idea. Where's Tony DiNozzo?"

"I was rather hoping you'd be able to tell me," Kort said, snidely. "La Grenouille flew to DC this morning. He didn't arrive at his safe house and his satalite phone has stopped transmitting. I don't know what NCIS is up to but you're jepordizing months of undercover work."

Kelly balled up her fist ready to take another swing but Ziva wasn't about to let her go. "And I suppose you have no idea who blew up Tony's car, right?" Kelly asked, coolly.

"He wasn't in it," Kort said, rolling his eyes at Kelly.

"Gee, thanks for sharing," Kelly snapped.

"Kelly," Jenny said, warningly.

"I promise I won't hit him again," Kelly said, and after she relaxed, she looked at Kort. "Unless you give me a reason to."

"Charming," Kort replied.

"Definitely more than you," Kelly said and when she heard the elevator again, she almost screamed with joy when she saw who it was. "Tony!" Running to Tony DiNozzo, she launched herself at him, throwing her arms around his neck and as Tony hugged her, she kissed him on the lips.

After a few moments, Tony pulled out of the kiss before looking at the others. "Did all of you miss me that much?" Seeing Kort, Tony asked, "Hey! My car blew up this morning. Did you do that?" But before he could say anything else, Kort pulled him out of Kelly's embrace and slammed Tony against the wall, pressing an arm to the other man's throat.

Hearing a gun cocking in his ear, Kort froze as he heard Kelly say, "If you want to keep breathing…"

Looking away from Tony, Kort saw that Gibbs, McGee, and Ziva also had weapons pointed. But just as he let Tony go, Kort felt a fist land on his face again.

Looking unapologetic, Kelly said to the rest of the team, "He deserved it."

"DiNozzo…" Gibbs said quietly. "With me."

Seeing that refusing wasn't an option, Tony followed his boss to one of the conference rooms and waited until Gibbs closed the door. "Kelly kissed me, boss," Tony said, quickly when Gibbs faced off with him.

"Tony…" Gibbs said, his tone quiet but his eyes full of promise as he went on. "That is my only little girl. There is nothing in this world that means more to me than her." Making sure Tony was looking into his eyes, Gibbs said, "If you hurt her… if you break her heart… you will regret it… every day… for the rest of your life. Am I making myself perfectly clear?"

"Yes, sir," Tony replied, nodding.

"Good," Gibbs replied. "Now… I'm sure Jenny wants to debrief you on what happened today."

----

When Gibbs entered the conference room where Kelly was waiting, he asked, "When were you going to tell me?"

"It's not like I planned it or anything, Dad," Kelly insisted.

"You mean this kiss? Or the one before you left?" Gibbs asked, eying her.

"Neither," Kelly replied. "Look, Dad, I… it's hard for me to date, okay? But Tony's a good guy."

"I don't want you to be hurt," Gibbs said, quietly.

"I won't be," Kelly insisted. "Just… promise you won't punish Tony for this."

"Only if he breaks your heart," Gibbs replied.

----------

That evening, as Kelly headed for her car, she found Tony leaning on the hood. "You're not trying to apologize to Jeanne?" Kelly asked, unlocking the car and putting her bag in the back.

"She's not coming back," Tony said, sadly. "I knew I'd blown it as soon as I saw her father this morning."

"Surprised you're not at a bar drowning your sorrows, then," Kelly said, looking at Tony.

"Thought about it," Tony replied, standing up. "But, uh… I thought maybe… I could take you to dinner instead."

"And this isn't because you've been dumped and you're on the rebound?" Kelly wanted to know.

"I just want to take a beautiful girl out to dinner," Tony assured her.

Kelly got in her car and smiled. "Then get in."

As Tony got in the car and buckled up he wondered if he was doing the right thing.


	8. Requiem

AUTHOR'S NOTES: This was one of the episodes I _knew_ I had to revisit with this story. And although I did have to make some big changes, I tried to keep to the storyline.

And as far as what's in the time capsule you can find that at the CBS website.

Chapter 8

* * *

_**Requiem **_

Pulling into the driveway of her apartment, Kelly saw Rudi Haas coming down the sidewalk towards her. As she got out, Kelly made sure she had the safety on her weapon set before getting out of the car. "Thought Maddie told you to get lost," Kelly said, closing the car door.

"Look, if you could just talk to her," Rudi said, hopefully.

Making sure Rudi could see the 9mm at her waist, Kelly fixed the Marine Sergeant with a look as she said, "I'm warning you, Haas. Stay the hell away from here." Going into the apartment, Kelly found Maddie in the kitchen looking worried.

"Is he gone?" Maddie asked.

"For now," Kelly said, removing her gun and badge before leaning on the counter. "Maddie… we _have_ to go to the police. This guy is _not_ going to stop stalking you."

"Kelly, no," Maddie insisted. "Look, I told you the police said they can't do anything since it's only been a week." Pacing the kitchen, she went on. "Besides maybe… maybe he'll get the message and leave me alone."

Looking at the bruise on Maddie's forearm, Kelly said, "You really believe that?"

Pulling her sleeve down, Maddie sighed. "Look if there was something I could do I would. But if the police can't help me—"

"Then we'll find someone who can," Kelly insisted, grabbing her gun and badge again. "Come on."

----------

"Hey, Kelly," McGee said as he saw Gibbs' daughter coming through security. "Didn't you just leave?"

Giving a quick nod to Maddie, Kelly said, "Need to talk to Dad."

"He's in the squad room," McGee replied.

"Great," Kelly replied, quickly. "Tim, can you show Maddie to the lounge? Keep her company for a few minutes?"

"Uh… sure," McGee said, curiously as Kelly dashed off. Leading Maddie to the lounge, McGee said, "Haven't seen you around here for a while. Been busy with school?"

"Yeah," Maddie replied as she and McGee sat down at one of the tables. "Oh, I finished your second book."

"You've read both of them?" McGee asked with a smile.

"I liked _Rock Hollow_ better," Maddie nodded. "And when that agent died… Pamela Carson… I actually cried when I read that chapter."

--

"Hey, Dad?" Kelly said as she came into the squad room. "You got a minute?"

"What's up?" Gibbs asked.

"Um… Maddie's got… a bit of a problem," Kelly replied, noticing that Tony, Ziva and Abby were all listening. "A _personal_ problem."

"Okay," Gibbs replied, following Kelly down to the lounge where McGee and Maddie were talking.

"Boss, I'll just… go back up to the squad room," McGee said, leaving quickly.

"So what's the problem?" Gibbs asked, sitting down opposite Maddie as Kelly sat next to her best friend.

"This guy is stalking Maddie," Kelly explained. "His name is Rudi Haas. He's a Marine."

"About a year and a half ago, he and I went out a couple times," Maddie explained. "Then he went to Iraq. Got back a week ago. He wanted to get things started again. B-but there was nothing to start. Because nothing got started."

"Then he wanted to move in," Kelly added. "This guy is… he's stalking Maddie… And just her, Dad. Metro PD said there's nothing they can do since it's just been a week."

"Did he hurt you?" Gibbs asked looking at Maddie.

Maddie pulled up the sleeve of her shirt and exposed the bruise on her arm. "I don't think he meant to. He just kind of grabbed me, but… he's really freaking me out."

"Where do I find him?" Gibbs asked.

"Outside our house," Kelly replied.

"Okay, then," Gibbs said standing up. "Let's go have a talk with him."

-------

When Kelly saw Haas coming out of the apartment building as the car pulled up to the curb and she, Maddie, and Gibbs got out of the car, she was very tempted to just put a round through both his knees. Especially when he started towards Maddie with a smile. "Hey, Mads. I was just looking for you, babe."

Stepping between Maddie and Haas, Gibbs grabbed Haas and twisted his arm behind his back as he grabbed the young man's shoulder in a vice-like grip.

"Hey, let go of me!" Haas said, trying to twist out of the hold. Looking at Maddie he asked, "This your old man?"

"No," Kelly said, facing off with Haas. "He's mine."

"What the hell is this?!" Haas shouted as Gibbs tightened his grip.

"Maddie does _not_ want to see you," Gibbs said in a quiet, threatening tone. "Means you're not going to come back. You're not going to call her. You're not going to drive down her street." When Haas started trying to twist away again, Gibbs held him tightly. "Do I need to say it again?"

"No," Haas ground out through clenched teeth.

"No, what?" Kelly said, looking Haas in the eye.

"No, sir," Haas amended as Gibbs let him go. As he walked away, he gave Maddie one last look.

Looking at Maddie and Kelly, Gibbs gave both girls a smile before nodding in the direction of the apartment.

-

Once they were in the apartment, Kelly started making coffee while Maddie rummaged for something. "Kelly found it last night. We were looking at it all last night." Coming to the table as Kelly brought three mugs of coffee over, Maddie smiled as she opened the photo album and handed it to Gibbs. "We can't remember who took that photo."

Gibbs smiled as he looked at the picture of Kelly and Maddie. "I did." Looking at Kelly, he said, "I never found out what was so funny."

"You never told him?" Maddie asked, looking at Kelly. Looking at Gibbs, she said, "It was a time capsule. We filled this toy suitcase with all of our treasures and… buried it in your back yard. We were sitting on it."

"I never knew," Gibbs said, looking at his daughter.

Kelly's smile was bittersweet as she said, "After Mom died, I… I always felt like… like it was from a different lifetime. I didn't want to remember how I felt when she died."

Taking Kelly's hand, Gibbs gave her a smile. "It's okay, Kelly."

Feeling tears in her eyes, Kelly shook her head. "I just wonder sometimes what it would be like if Mom was here." Looking at her father and her best friend, she added, "If we'd be the same… or different."

----------

After having his team do a background check on Rudi Haas, Gibbs headed back to his house and in the backyard he went to the garden where he'd taken the picture of Kelly and Maddie. Digging up some of the plants, he finally unearthed a small metal lunchbox. Pulling it out of the ground, he brushed some of the dirt off of it before taking it down to the basement.

Sitting on the floor, holding the time capsule, Gibbs let his memory drift. Before Shannon's death Kelly had been happy… always smiling, always laughing… The only times she'd cried was when Gibbs had to leave.

After losing her mother, Kelly was always sad. And for a few years it was very rare that she'd given a real smile.

Gibbs smiled as he remembered the first time Mike Franks had met Kelly. The other NCIS agent had given the 9-year-old girl a look before saying, "Little too young to join the agency, kid."

When Gibbs had started working with Jenny Shepard, he'd been worried that Kelly wouldn't like her. But somehow the two became closer than sisters in a matter of months. And more than once, Gibbs thought of marrying Jenny since the two already seemed to have a mother/daughter relationship.

But now that Jenny was the director of NCIS…

When his phone rang, Gibbs turned it on. "Yeah. Gibbs."

"Dad, he's back!" Kelly screamed and when Gibbs heard a gunshot and silence on the line, he bolted from the basement, feeling like he'd been shot.

Burning rubber, he pulled up to the apartment and drew his weapon, keeping his ears open and his eyes peeled for any movement. "Maddie? Kelly?" Going to the front door, Gibbs saw that the door lock had been forced and going inside, he tried calling again. "Kelly! Maddie!

"In here, Dad," Kelly said from the living room where she was lying on the floor.

Gibbs rushed over, grateful that while his daughter definitely looked roughed up, she didn't seem to be severely injured. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," Kelly said, looking at her father. "Go. Save Maddie."

Before Gibbs could reply, he heard shouting.

"NO!" Maddie shouted from somewhere outside.

"Get in the car!" A male voice shouted, menacingly.

"Help! Please! Let go of me!" Maddie screamed, fear heavy in her voice.

"Get in the car!" The male voice shouted again.

Gibbs looked over at Kelly who was slowly getting to her feet before running out of the apartment after Maddie.

But the kiddnapper had gotten Maddie into Haas's car and before Gibbs could fire off a shot, the truck was out of range.

-------

Kelly had a strange sense of déjà vu as she sat on one of the tables in Autopsy as Ducky checked her out.

"Well, at least you managed to avoid any serious injury this time," Ducky said as he finished the examination. Noticing how quiet Kelly was as she got off the table and pulled her clothes back on, he asked, "Are you sure you're alright?"

"About a month after… after Dad left on his last tour in Iraq…" Kelly said, quietly. "Maddie's father was caught in a bombing. She… she ran away from home… she was gone for two days. No one could find her." Looking at Ducky, Kelly felt tears in her eyes as she said, "I'd never been so scared before. I thought for sure she was dead." Hugging Ducky Kelly started to cry. "She's my best friend, Ducky! We've been through everything together!"

"Gibbs will find her, my dear," Ducky said with as much confidence as he could muster as he patted the young woman on the back. "Have faith."

"I'm trying, Ducky," Kelly said, pulling away and wiping her eyes. "I'm really, really trying but I just can't… She helped me after Mom died… I can't take losing anyone else."

"Kelly," Ducky said, gently. "Go home. Your father will be able to handle this."

Kelly nodded and after a moment left Autopsy and headed for the parking garage.

----------

In the basement of her old house, Kelly went to the workbench where the time capsule sat… waiting… Brushing dirt off, Kelly remembered when she and Maddie buried it. Laughing as they heard Gibbs coming up behind, turning around and pretending they weren't doing anything.

Sitting on the floor, holding the box, Kelly remembered when she'd finally been able to come home after the accident. She'd been stuck in bed for months and when she finally got home Maddie had run over wanting to play. They had played ponies for hours before Maddie had had to leave.

It had taken Kelly's leg years to heal and when she finally got to high school, Maddie had been the one to stop the other kids from teasing Kelly about her limp. Then Kelly and Maddie had joined the school's swim team their senior year…

Sighing, Kelly couldn't stop thinking about all she and Maddie had done together. The road trip up to Michigan after graduating high school.

Staying up late the first night in the apartment watching the old wood-paneled rabbit-eared TV they'd found on the side of the road. Taking turns holding the antennas to get better reception.

It was hard for Kelly to think of a memory that wasn't somehow connected to Maddie. The idea of losing her best friend was unthinkable.

Hearing the stairs creak, Kelly looked up to see Tony coming down the steps. "Hey," Tony said, walking up to Kelly. "How you holding up?"

"Any news?" Kelly asked, hopefully.

"The others are checking on a lead," Tony replied. "We're going to find Haas, Kelly. And when we do, we'll find Maddie."

"You ever lose a best friend, Tony?" Kelly asked, looking at the time capsule she held.

"I, uh… never really had a best friend," Tony admitted, leaning against the boat frame. "At least… not like you and Maddie."

"We were always like sisters," Kelly said with a smile. "We did just about everything together."

"What's that?" Tony asked, noticing the old lunch box Kelly held.

"A time capsule," Kelly replied with a reminiscent smile.

"What's in it?" Tony asked, curiously.

Kelly couldn't help a laugh as she looked at the dirt covered box. "I don't really remember. It was so long ago."

"Then maybe you should open it," Tony replied with a smile as he held out a hand to Kelly.

Taking Tony's hand, Kelly pulled herself up and turning to face the workbench, she set the box down and after hesitating a few moments, she flipped the latches and opened the box.

Looking at Kelly, Tony saw a glimpse of the little girl she used to be as she rediscovered her old treasures: an old PushPop candy (Maddie's favorite), a few drawings, a picture of Maddie and Kelly leaning on a porch rail… "What's this?' Tony asked, pulling out what looked like a letter.

Kelly smiled as Tony unfolded it. "It's a letter I wrote to Dad before he left for Kuwait… I always thought that someday Dad and I could open the time capsle together... when I was older." Reaching in, she pulled out two bead bracelets, one that said 'Kelly' and the other that said 'Maddie'. "We exchanged these in second grade," Kelly replied to Tony's unspoken question. "We never knew what was going to happen… if our families would be transferred somewhere else. It was a way to always stay close." Putting the bracelets in her pocket and the letter back in the box, Kelly was almost ready to close it when she saw something she'd forgotten about years ago.

"Dog tags?" Tony asked, looking at them as Kelly pulled them out.

Kelly couldn't help the tears that formed as she nodded. "Dad… Dad gave these to me for my 4th birthday. Until I buried them… I never took them off." Looking up at Tony, she added, "Never." Closing the time capsule, Kelly said, "It's weird looking back."

"If you could go back and tell your 8-year-old self one thing…" Tony asked as Kelly latched the box and pocketed the dog tags. "What would it be?"

Kelly thought about that for a while before replying, "I would say… 'Don't take anything for granted.' And I would say that… no matter what happens… you'll never have to worry about being alone. you'll always have friends."

Tony was about to respond to that when his cell phone rang. Turning it on, he said, "DiNozzo. Okay. Well that's… Got it. Be there in a few." Hanging up, Tony looked at Kelly. "They found Haas."

"And Maddie?" Kelly asked, hopefully.

"No," Tony said, shaking his head. "According to Ducky… Haas was dead for about 6 hours when Maddie was abducted. It wasn't him, Kelly."

-------------

Marching into NCIS, Kelly was about as angry as she'd ever been as she came into the squad room. "What the Hell is going on?!" Kelly shouted as she looked at Ziva and McGee.

McGee looked nervous as he said, "W-we're trying to find out what Haas—"

"Haas is dead!" Kelly snapped. "Next lead!"

"We're working on it, Kelly," McGee insisted.

"Don't even try right now, McGee," Tony said as he went to his desk.

"Where's Dad?" Kelly asked, sharply.

"Autopsy," Ziva replied, swiftly. "And Abby is processing the evidence from the crime scene and Haas's car."

Kelly headed for the elevator and once inside, she stopped the elevator and leaned with her back to the wall, trying to breathe normally. She had to be calm. Being freaked out wouldn't help anything. After a few minutes, Kelly turned the elevator back on and she reached the lower level just as Abby was hurrying back to her lab.

"Got anything, Abby?" Kelly asked, following the forensics tech to her lab.

"Not yet," Abby said, quickly. "But I will." Setting down Haas's clothes and the nails that had been pounded into his hands and feet, Abby turned to Kelly and hugged her. "We're going to find Maddie. You believe that, right?"

"Right now I think I'd be willing to believe anything," Kelly admitted. "She's my best friend, Abbs."

"I know," Abby said as she let go of Kelly. "Come on. Help me process this stuff."

"I-I'm going back to the apartment. See if there's something we missed," Kelly said, quickly as she dashed out of the room.

--

Once back at the apartment, Kelly looked around, trying to find some clue as to why Maddie was taken. Hearing someone open the front door, Kelly whirled around, pointing her gun at—"Dad!" Lowering the weapon, she said, "What are you doing here?"

"Helping," Gibbs said, stepping into the trashed apartment. "Haas helped two other Marines smuggle money here from Iraq."

"So… Haas needed a place to stash the money?" Kelly guessed. Thinking for a moment, she amended, "Or he needed someplace to send the money." Frowning, she added, "But what are you doing here?"

"Trying to get Maddie back," Gibbs replied, trying to think of a way to get rid of Kelly. If she was here the plan wouldn't work.

"Let me help you," Kelly said, quickly.

"Not this time, Kelly," Gibbs said, shaking his head. "Go back to NCIS."

"You have a plan, don't you?" Kelly deduced. Hugging her father, she said, "Promise me this isn't one of those plans that results in you getting killed."

"Go on," Gibbs said, nodding at the door. Once Kelly was gone, he sat on Kelly's bed and waited. He wasn't quite sure why he was doing this. All he could think of was that it could have been Kelly. She could have been the one taken.

-

Kelly had indeed gone back to her car but instead of going back to NCIS, she sat and waited until she saw her father pulling away down the street. Waiting a few seconds, she pulled away and started following her father down the street. Hearing her phone ring, she answered it. "Kelly Gibbs."

"Kelly, it's Abby. Gibbs is likely headed for Southwestern Marine."

"Got it, Abbs," Kelly said hanging up and making a turn at the nearest intersection. She wasn't sure if she wanted to cut her father off on the way, meet him there… or get there first. Heading down by the old docks, Kelly pulled up just as another car pulled up. Getting out of the car, she saw that it was Tony. "Dad's here somewhere," Kelly said, quickly as Tony got out. Looking around, she heard gunshots and saw a car driving backwards into the water. Squeezing between the narrow space between the chainlink fence and a cement wall, Kelly started running for the water, firing shots at the two men nearby. When she got to the edge of the dock she dropped her gun and dove into the water.

Swimming down to the car, Kelly started when she saw someone next to her. Seeing that it was Tony, she pointed to the windshield. Tony nodded and after a few moments, he managed to pull the windshield away. Kelly pointed a finger at Tony before pointing to Gibbs and then pointed at herself, then Maddie. _'I'll get Maddie, you get Dad.'_ Tony nodded and as Kelly pulled her best friend out of the car, Tony reached in, trying to pull away the steering wheel which was keeping Gibbs pinned.

Seconds ticked by and when Tony finally managed to get Gibbs out, Tony could feel the older man going limp as Tony pulled Gibbs to the surface.

Up on the dock, Maddie was coughing as she and Kelly hugged each other. Looking over to Tony, Kelly felt her stomach clench when she realized that her father wasn't breathing as Tony got him onto the dock. "Dad. Dad! Daddy! Please don't do this to me again! Not again!"

While Tony started CPR, Kelly sat there, frozen. This couldn't be happening… Was she going to keep her best friend but lose her father?

_In Gibbs fading mind, he heard a beautiful voice call his name._

"_Jethro…"_

"_Shannon," Gibbs said as his first true love appeared before him._

"_It's not your time yet, Jethro," Shannon said with a smile. "You have to go back. It's okay."_

"_I love you, Shannon," Gibbs said, reaching for her. _

"_I love you, Jethro,' Shannon said, sadly. "Go back, Jethro."_

"Daddy? Come on, Dad. Wake up…"

_Gibbs could hear his daughter's voice. Could almost feel her holding his hand… Pulling away from Shannon, he heard her voice one more time before he was pulled back to the land of the living._

"_I'll wait for you, Jethro… I'll wait for you. Go back, Jethro… Tell Kelly I love her."_

"Dad?" Kelly said as she saw her father slowly blink.

"Boss?" Tony said as Gibbs slowly sat up. Letting his gaze drift upwards, Tony smiled. _'Thank you, God.'_

And to his surprise, he could have sworn he heard Kate Todd's voice say, _'You're welcome, Tony.'_

"You okay, Dad?" Kelly asked, smiling even though she was wet and cold.

"I'm okay," Gibbs insisted as he hugged both Kelly and Maddie.

-------

The doctors at Bethesda had insisted on keeping Gibbs and Maddie overnight and had thankfully put the two of them in the same room. After Kelly had left to go home—Gibbs had insisted she go and get a good night's sleep—Gibbs looked over at Maddie who was looking as though she was puzzled about something.

"Why did you come after me?" Maddie asked, looking at Gibbs before glancing at the bead bracelet on her wrist. She and Kelly had exchanged the bracelets in second grade and they'd put them in the time capsule. But when Kelly had handed her the old bracelet that evening, Maddie had felt like she was 8 years old again, promising her best friend that they'd be friends forever.

"Because all I could think about was that it could have been Kelly," Gibbs replied. "And as close as you and Kelly are… I've started thinking of you as a daughter, too."

"Thanks, Jethro," Maddie said with a smile as she lay back in the hospital bed.

"You're welcome, Gibbs replied before closing his eyes and falling asleep. And for once, he had happier dreams… Dreams of Kelly, Shannon… and Maddie. An extended family…

-------------

The next day after getting out of the hospital, Gibbs went home and smiled when he found Kelly down in the basement working on the boat frame. "Thought you and Maddie would be getting the apartment cleaned up," Gibbs said as he went over to his daughter.

"Maddie's staying with her mom for a few days," Kelly replied, drilling some of the slat holes. "Tony, Tim, Palmer, Abby, and Ziva said they'd take care of the apartment." Setting the tools down, she turned and looked at her father. "Thank you, Dad. For saving Maddie."

"She's family," Gibbs replied with a smile as he hugged his little girl. "Your mom told me to say 'I love you'."

Smiling, Kelly glanced over at the time capsule on the workbench. Looking back at Gibbs, she asked, "You want to see what was inside?"

"Sure," Gibbs replied, walking over to the workbench, an arm around Kelly as she undid the latches and opened the box.


	9. An Intermission Chapter

AUTHOR'S NOTES: I'm working on the next actual chapter with Shaggy37 but I decided to throw in this little intermediary chapter in the meantime.

Just a few little thoughts, observations, etc. I've had.

(Some of the sections were inspired by country music. Not important, really, but eh….)

Enjoy!

NCIS—What Should Have Been: An Intermission

_26 Years Ago…_

Being a new dad wasn't much different than being a Marine, Jethro Gibbs decided as he got up a little after 3 that morning. Kelly was crying and even though Gibbs wanted to get some sleep, he hated hearing his newborn baby crying.

After rocking her back to sleep, Gibbs started making coffee and splashed some water on his face. It was hard dealing with this. But as Gibbs looked at the sleeping child, he knew the little girl had him wrapped around her finger.

When Shannon had told him she was pregnant. Gibbs had been excited at the idea of having a son. Someone he could take fishing, build a tree house with… When the kid got older, Gibbs imagined his son playing football, dating a cheerleader… Wanting to be a Marine like his old man…

But when the nurse handed him his daughter, Gibbs forgot about all of that. All he cared about was this sweet, beautiful little girl with her mother's hair and his nose and eyes.

"Jethro?" Shannon said as she came into the nursery. "You've been up all night. Go back to bed."

"I'm fine," Gibbs insisted, trying in vain to cover up a yawn.

"Liar," Shannon laughed just as Kelly started crying again. "I'll get her. You get some sleep." When Gibbs yawned, Shannon smiled. "It won't be like this for long, Jethro. Soon we'll look back on this and laugh. Just hang in there."

Gibbs nodded and headed back for the bedroom. But as he lay in bed trying to fall back asleep, he couldn't help but think about how someday… very, very far from now… he'd probably miss this.

----------------------------------

_4 Years Later_

"Daddy. Daddy."

Opening one eye just a bit, Gibbs hid a smile as he saw Kelly crawling into the bed.

"Jethro…" Shannon said, quietly. "Your daughter wants you."

Gibbs closed his eye but tiny fingers lifted his eyelid and Gibbs was staring into the face of his little girl.

"Daddy," Kelly said again.

"What is it, Snipe?" Gibbs asked, sitting up and pulling Kelly into his lap.

"Do I hafta go to pweschool?" Kelly asked, giving her father her best pouty face.

"Yes, you do," Shannon grumbled into her pillow.

"Your mommy has spoken," Gibbs said, as Kelly frowned.

"I don' wanna go!" Kelly said, trying not to cry.

"Yeah?" Gibbs said, looking at his little girl. "What do you want to do?"

"I wanna be jus' like you, Daddy!" Kelly said, happily. "A Mawine!"

Gibbs laughed as he reached over to his nightstand and pulled out a small case. Looking at Kelly, he said, "I don't think it would hurt for you to have one birthday gift early." Opening the case, he pulled out a set of child-size dog tags on a chain.

Kelly opened her mouth to speak, but she could only smile as her father unhooked the chain and put the dog tags around her neck. "I'll never take 'em off, Daddy!" Kelly exclaimed, happily. "Never, never, never!"

-----------------------------------------------------------

_9 Years Later_

These days, Gibbs wished he was back in the Corps.

It was definitely easier than trying to raise a teenager alone.

Oh, sure, the new NCIS medical Examiner—Ducky—was helpful and Gibbs' new partner—a woman—was always offering to help.

But still it was hard.

After the car accident 5 years ago, Kelly's leg still wasn't in great shape and she often complained that the kids at school, teased her about the brace she wore on her right leg.

Sitting at the coffee table one morning—Kelly was over at Maddie Tyler's house for a sleepover—Gibbs sipped his coffee and tried to tell himself that he wasn't messing everything up. That he was doing a good job raising his little girl.

'_It won't be like this for long'_ Shannon's voice said in his mind.

Sighing, Gibbs nodded to himself. In 4 years, Kelly would be out of high school and going off to college… Finding a boyfriend… getting married…

He remembered when he first held Kelly in his arms—promising her that he'd never let anything happen to her… that he'd always be there for her…

Maybe being a single parent wouldn't be so bad, Gibbs thought as he went to get a refill on his coffee. After all, he'd survived worse…

----------------------------------------------------

_6 Years Later_

Anthony DiNozzo wasn't quite sure what to expect his first day at NCIS but he certainly didn't expect to see a beautiful, long-legged young woman with reddish-brown hair sitting at one of the desks, her pedicured feet in strap sandals and up on the desk as she read a book on law enforcement training.

"Can I help you?" Tony asked, uncertainly. When the girl lowered the book, Tony took an involuntary step back as he recognized the blues eyes of his new boss, Leroy Jethro Gibbs. "Um… Are you related to Agent Gibbs?" Tony asked, sort of dreading the answer.

"That's an understatement, Agent…?" Kelly said, looking Tony up and down.

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs shouted, striding over. As soon as he saw Kelly at his desk, Gibbs raised a hand and smacked Tony on the back of the head. "Your desk is over there," Gibbs added, pointing to the desk at the end before heading to the upper level.

"He do that often?" Tony asked, rubbing the back of his head.

"You'll get used to it," Kelly said, smiling as she slowly brought her legs down and got up from her chair. "Or you'll end up with permanent brain damage." Walking past Tony to the elevator, she smiled as she felt him look her over. "Don't think Dad would like you checking out my ass, DiNozzo."

It took a few moments for Kelly's words to sink in and just as he saw the elevator doors open, Tony said, "Wait—'Dad'?"

"Kelly Gibbs," Kelly said as she stepped into the elevator. "Nice meeting you, Agent DiNozzo."

As he sat down at his desk, Tony wondered if he would survive working at NCIS.

----

"How's the new agent?" Abby Scuito asked when she saw Gibbs come into her lab holding a large Caf-Pow.

"He's going to be fine," Gibbs replied with a smile as he set Abby's drink next to her.

"You already smacked him on the head, didn't you?" Abby said with a smirk.

"He was checking Kelly out," Gibbs explained.

"And so has every guy under the age of 35 whose ever met her," Abby said, repressing the urge to roll her eyes. "When are you finally going to let Kelly date someone more than once?"

"When she finally finds the right guy," Gibbs said, honestly.

"And just who would that be?" Abby asked, curiously. When Gibbs didn't reply, Abby nodded. "Exactly. According to you, no one's ever good enough for her. You've got to let the girl have a life, Gibbs."

Gibbs knew Abby was right, but the last thing he wanted to do was admit it. But as he got back to the squad room and found Kelly talking with Anthony DiNozzo, Gibbs hid a smile as he saw Kelly look at him.

Maybe DiNozzo would be a good fit for Kelly… When he grew up a bit and matured as an agent…

----------------------------------------------------------------

_2 Years Later_

"Dad, I'm old enough to drive," Kelly said as she faced off with Gibbs in the squad room. "I'm old enough to get married. To have kids. And now I am _finally_ old enough to drink. I think I can go to a club all by myself." Staring her father in the eye, she added, "And I am way—_way—_too old to need a babysitter!"

"I just want Kate with you in case something happens that you can't handle," Gibbs insisted, not backing down—even though he couldn't help but think of Shannon. Kelly was just as stubborn as her mother sometimes…

"Dad, I've known how to fight since I was 5!" Kelly insisted. "I always follow rule # 9. And there's very little I can't deal with."

"This isn't a discussion,' Gibbs replied. _'When did my little girl become so grown up?'_ Gibbs asked. "You're not going out without backup."

"Well, why can't Tony go with me?" Kelly asked, looking over at the other agent.

'_Because I want you safe, not knocked up,'_ Gibbs said to himself. "Look, Kate was with the Secret Service," Gibbs replied. "She's highly skilled at—"

"Okay, what about Abby?" Kelly asked, trying to state her case. "She'd fit in better."

"Abby's not a federal agent," Gibbs replied.

"Gibbs, let me handle this," Kate said, standing up from her desk. "Kelly?"

Kelly rolled her eyes and followed the agent over to the side of the stairs. "Look, no offense, but I can take care of myself."

"I have no doubts about that," Kate replied. "And look… I know you think I'm going to drag you down. I promise I won't." Seeing Kelly's doubtful expression, she added. "How about lunch, manicures, and pedicures before we go to the club, okay? My treat."

"I guess," Kelly shrugged.

"Maybe we could even go shopping afterwards?" Kate added with a smile.

"Sure," Kelly agreed.

As the two women started towards the elevator, Kate added, "You don't mind if I wear my back-up weapon?"

"Sure," Kelly said, grinning. "I always keep a .38 on me anyway."

"Where's you learn to shoot?" Kate asked, glancing at Gibbs as she and Kelly got in the elevator.

"Oh, here and there," Kelly said, vaguely. "Dad always insisted that I know how to defend myself."

"How long have you been hanging around NCIS?" Kate asked as the elevator headed down to the ground floor.

"Since I was 9," Kelly said, grinning. "By 13 I learned how to run DNA and fingerprints. And by 16 I knew how to process a crime scene."

Kate was impressed by that and said so. "So are you planning on going to FLETC after college?"

"Forensics," Kelly replied as she followed Kate to her car.

"You don't want to be an NCIS agent?" Kate asked, surprised as they got in the car and headed out of the parking lot.

"I'm cool with forensics," Kelly said with a shrug. Looking at Kate, she said, "Thanks for taking my side on this."

"Hey, I was young like you, once," Kate said with a smile. "So what's your favorite part of NCIS?"

"Getting to see my dad," Kelly replied. "When Mom died, it… It was weird between us for a while. When I started getting better after the accident I'd come by and see Dad. And the other agents—and Abby—showed me stuff." After a few moments, she said, "Dad's really all I have left." Looking at Kate, she said, "Take care of him. Okay?"

"I will," Kate promised, meaning it with all her heart.


	10. Internal Affairs

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Even though I'm working on the chapter 'Dog Tags' with author Shaggy37, I decided to go ahead with the episode 'Internal Affairs' on my own.

Chapter 9

* * *

_**Internal Affairs**_

For Tony there was a strange sense of déjà vu when he walked into work and saw Kelly sitting at her desk, her feet up and a book in her hands. Walking towards his girlfriend, Tony jumped when Ziva loudly pounded her hole-punch.

"House-keeping, Tony," Ziva explained with a smile.

"Well, keep it to a dull roar," Tony replied, taking a sip of his coffee. "I've got a hot beverage here," he added, setting his stuff down at his desk. Looking over at Kelly, he asked, "Whatcha readin'?"

"Autographed copy of James Patterson's new book," Kelly replied, glancing over the top of the book at Tony. "Birthday gift from Tim. And Ziva gave me a really nice boot-knife."

"Don't forget the necklace from Abby," Ziva added. "And the bracelet from Ducky."

"Um…" Tony said, looking embarrassed. "I… haven't gotten around to shopping yet?" Seeing Kelly glaring at him, Tony knew he was in the doghouse. "I'll pick up something today?"

"Pick up what today, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked as he strolled into the room and set a small gift on Kelly's desk.

"Kelly's birthday gift, boss," McGee said, smirking at Tony who gave a mocking expression in return. "Tony forgot it was today."

"I didn't forget!" Tony snapped, irritably.

"Forget what, DiNozzo?" Tobias Fornell said as he came into the squad room with half a dozen FBI agents in tow.

"Tobias?" Gibbs asked, looking at his friend and the other agents as the computers suddenly went down. "What's going on?"

"It's a shut down, Gibbs," Fornell said, looking at the NCIS agents. "A few months ago they pulled a body out of the bay. PD's had him on ice while they ran a DNA match. Body's been positively identified as Rene Benoit."

"La Grenouille?" Kelly asked, sitting up and closing her book. "He's dead?" she asked, seeing Jenny come into the room.

"Murdered," Fornell corrected. "This entire unit is under investigation."

Pulling Fornell aside, Gibbs said, quietly, "You had to do this on Kelly's birthday?"

"Shit, Jethro, I don't want to do this at all," Fornell said, angrily. "My bosses are telling me what to do on this one. This unit was the one investigating La Grenouille and my bosses suspect it was one of you who killed him." Looking at the other agents, Fornell said, "Escort Agent Gibbs and his team to the evidence lock-up. And find Dr. Mallard."

-------

Sitting on the table in the evidence storage, Kelly glared at the FBI agent guarding them.

"I'm terribly sorry, my dear," Ducky said, looking at Kelly. "I can't imagine this is one of your better birthdays."

"Mom died a few months before my 9th birthday," Kelly said, hopping off the table. "That was definitely my worst birthday so far." Looking at her watch, she asked, "How long do you think they're going to question Dad?"

"I couldn't say," Ducky replied. "I suppose it would depend on what useful information Jethro gives them."

After about 10 minutes, Gibbs came back into the room and Fornell looked at Kelly. "Kelly. Come on."

Getting an encouraging nod from both Ducky and her father, Kelly followed Fornell out of the room and to one of the interrogation rooms.

Sitting down, Kelly was a bit surprised when Fornell handed her an envelope. "What's this?"

"What?" Fornell said with a smile. "You think just because you and your father and your team are under investigation I'm going to forget your birthday?"

"Thanks," Kelly said with a nod. "So… what do you want to know?"

"How close are you and the director?" Fornell asked.

"You've never been one for mincing words, have you?" Kelly asked, leaning back in her chair. "Director Shepard has been a friend… a mentor… and… a surrogate mother. She's always been fair and she's always been there to help me."

"Did she ever tell you what she had to do to get you out of FLETC?" Fornell asked and when he saw Kelly's raised eyebrow, he knew she didn't know.

"I had to pass the field test, firearms test… And that was it," Kelly said with a shrug.

"Giving you a pass is a violation of protocol," Fornell corrected. "There's a reason FLETC certification is a requirement for _all_ federal agents. But since you've been hanging around NCIS since you were a kid, Director Shepard figured you already knew everything."

"I passed all my exams and field tests," Kelly said, flatly. "I aced my last firearms proficiency."

"What's your relationship with Agent DiNozzo?" Fornell asked, throwing a wild curveball.

Kelly gave a wry laugh before asking, "Did Dad tell you to ask me that?" Seeing that Fornell wasn't smiling, she said, "We're dating."

"Sleeping together?"

"Why do you want to know?" Kelly asked, crossing her arms and fixing Fornell with a look.

Across the table, Fornell couldn't help but be a bit unnerved at how much Kelly was like her father. "Were you and Agent DiNozzo dating and/or intimate while he was undercover?"

"No," Kelly replied, quickly. "Until the… whole mess with La Grenouille… Tony always acted like a big brother."

"Did you know the details of DiNozzo's undercover assignment?" Fornell asked.

"No," Kelly replied again. "As far as I know only Tony and Director Shepard know the details of the assignment."

-------

Once back in the evidence lock-up, Kelly went over to Tony who was looking nervous. "You okay?" Kelly asked.

"What did they ask you?" Tony asked in response.

"My relationship with Jenny… My relationship with you," Kelly added, glancing at her father before looking at Tony.

"Well, McGee's next," Tony said, looking at the others. "Then probably Ziva or Ducky."

"Then Abby, then you," Kelly finished. "Who do you think Fornell's really after?"

"You know who they're after," Gibbs said, walking over to the couple.

"Jenny's not a murderer," Kelly protested.

"You don't know her like I do," Gibbs said, quietly.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Kelly asked, crossing her arms and walking up to her father.

"Jenny believes La Grenouille killed her father," Gibbs replied.

"That still doesn't make her a murderer," Kelly insisted, not backing down.

-------------

"It took Kelly Gibbs a while to warm up to you, didn't it?" Fornell said when Ziva sat down across from him.

"I thought I was here to discuss the murder of La Grenouille," Ziva replied, coolly.

"Background," Fornell replied, succinctly. "Kelly didn't like you when you first came to NCIS."

"No, she did not," Ziva said, simply. "She and Special Agent Todd were close. Kelly felt as though I was trying to take Agent Todd's place."

"Officer David, I know what you did with Mossad," Fornell said, staring her down. "I know you were trained to…" Smirking, he said, "Well… we know what you do." Opening a file, Fornell said, "The mission to Canada. What was the purpose?"

"We received intelligence the subject would be in the vicinity," Ziva replied, wondering why the questions about Kelly at the beginning. "I was there to insure mission safety. I was never given a fire order."

"You and Kelly Gibbs have an unwavering loyalty to Director Shepard," Fornell said, quietly.

"I was following orders," Ziva replied, starting to get a picture of what Fornell was after. "Yes, I was in a sniper position. But I was called off at the last second. Kelly was not a part of the mission in question."

"Why not?" Fornell asked, his own curiosity getting the better of him.

"The Director did not feel Kelly needed to be involved," Ziva explained. "In any part of the dealings or operations involving La Grenouille."

"Why not?" Fornell asked. "Because Director Shepard cares about her? Because of a… maternal protection?"

-------

When Ducky left for his 'interrogation' with Fornell, Ziva went to Kelly and asked, "Did you know La Grenouille was already dead?"

"What?" Kelly asked, confused. "Why the hell would you ask me—?"

"Because Fornell believes that you had something to do with his death," Ziva explained, her dark eyes studying Kelly. "That you, Director Shepard, and I had something to do with the murder."

"I was at home when La Grenouille was murdered!" Kelly said, angrily. "Maddie and I were having coffee!"

"And the night before?" Ziva asked, her gaze never wavering.

"She was with me," Tony replied, giving Ziva a look.

Ziva let out a sardonic laugh but didn't reply to that.

-------

When Ducky came back, he and Gibbs spoke in quiet tones while Kelly went over to Ziva. "Fornell really thinks _I _had something to with La Grenouille's murder?"

"Fornell alluded to that fact," Ziva said, quietly. "He would not say directly who he suspects… but he does believe you are somehow involved."

-------

After Abby had had her turn with Fornell, Tony finally sat across from the FBI agent.

"Got to admit, I'm surprised, DiNozzo," Fornell said with a grin. "I've known Kelly for years and I never thought of you as her type."

"It just kinda happened," Tony replied with a smile. "After Jeanne… Well…"

"And Gibbs is okay with you dating his daughter?" Fornell asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He warned me that if I hurt Kelly I'd regret it," Tony replied.

"_Tony…" Gibbs said, his tone quiet but his eyes full of promise as he went on. "That is my only little girl. There is nothing in this world that means more to me than her. If you hurt her… if you break her heart… you will regret it… every day… for the rest of your life. Am I making myself perfectly clear?"_

"Did Jeanne know you were in love with Kelly?" Fornell asked.

Tony chuckled and grinned. "If you're implying that Kelly had something to do with La Grenouille's murder, you're crazy."

"Jethro taught his daughter how to fight… how to shoot…" Fornell pointed out. "Of course it could have been the Director's orders, not Gibbs'. The day your car was blown… that was when Jeanne found about who you really were."

"_It's like you're someone else," Jeanne said, still reeling from seeing Tony's car explode. "Someone I don't know."_

"_My name isn't Tony DiNardo," Tony said, quickly. "It's Anthony DiNozzo and I work for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service."_

"So was Jeanne the reason you couldn't be with Kelly before?" Fornell asked. "Jeanne could have calmed down… forgiven you later… unless you made sure she'd hate you… by killing her father."

Tony didn't reply but leaned back in his chair. If the FBI was going to pin this murder on someone he sure as Hell wasn't going to give them Kelly.

"Director Shepard picked you personally for the undercover assignment, didn't she?" Fornell asked, trying to find a talking point. "Played matchmaker? Did Director Shepard order you to sleep with Jeanne?"

"Wouldn't call it an order," Tony replied, simply.

"So you had no problems developing that kind of relationship," Fornell said, quietly. "That kind of intimacy comes easy to you?"

"Sometimes," Tony said, vaguely.

"But you fell in love with Jeanne," Fornell went on. "Not very professional. How'd that happen?"

"Gradually," Tony replied. "I was always hoping that it could end without me breaking her heart, but…"

"Whose heart?" Fornell asked, leaning forward. "Jeanne's… or Kelly's?"

"Let me ask you something, Fornell," Tony said, leaning forward as well. "Why are you so eager to make Kelly a part of this?"

"It never occurred to you that Kelly was planted by the Director herself?" Fornell asked, raising an eyebrow. When Tony looked surprised at that, Fornell gave a soft chuckle. "I mean, come on. You know all prospective federal agents have to go to FLETC. Yet Kelly Gibbs gets a free pass from the Director of NCIS and everyone just accepts that?"

"Why would the Director put Kelly in a position like that?" Tony asked. This didn't make a lick of sense!

"Director Shepard planted you in Jeanne Benoit's life to get close to her father," Fornell explained. "Kelly was planted to be Director Shepard's successor."

"What?" Tony asked, even more confused. "That's… That's crazy."

"Director Shepard knew that things would come to a head with La Grenouille sooner or later," Fornell went on. "And if she was removed from her position… she'd need someone in her place she could trust… Someone she knew would carry on her agenda. So… Let's talk about that night."

"I was with Kelly from 1700 to about 1am the following morning," Tony said, simply. "We went out for pizza… went to a club… I dropped her off at home and then went back to my apartment."

"And the following morning?" Fornell asked.

"Went for a drive," Tony replied. "I needed to clear my head… Borrowed a company car and just drove around. I wasn't exactly plotting a course."

"Must have been upsetting," Fornell said, tired of playing around. "You're still in love with Jeanne but you want to be with Kelly. Only one way to finish things for good… Kill Jeanne's father. She hates you, but you also manage to protect her from her father's enemies. It's a win-win."

"It wasn't like that," Tony insisted.

"You barely managed to save Jeanne from a drug dealer," Fornell went on. "Then someone tried to blow her up by bombing your car. High maintenance woman there, DiNozzo. Can't always be running around saving your girlfriend's life while you're keeping secrets from her and pretending you're someone else. You had to do something. Jeanne would never be safe… not with her father around. And you'd never be with Kelly while Jeanne was in love with you. There was only one way to get exactly what you wanted. You killed La Grenouille!" Fornell shouted and although he knew it was true, the surprise in Tony's eyes unnerved him.

"I did what?" Tony said, caught off guard.

----------

Before Kelly could leave the building, she was summoned to the director's office and once inside, Kelly found herself facing a man she'd hoped never to see again. "Assistant Director Vance," Kelly said, trying to be polite as possible. "You wanted to see me?"

"Have a seat, Miss Gibbs," Leon Vance said as he chewed on a toothpick. When Kelly sat, he said, "I've been going over some of Director Shepard's reports. You're doing very well for a trainee agent."

"Well, I've been hanging around NCIS since I was—"

"9 years old," Vance finished nodding. "Yes, I know. I never approved of it, personally. This isn't the kind of job where you bring your kids to work."

Kelly smirked at that. "Well… Dad's never been one to follow the standard. He always thought I'd learn more here than at some after-school day center. And before you go any further, I have already been interrogated by Fornell."

"This isn't an interrogation," Vance replied. "I just wanted to know if you knew about Director Shepard's plans… involving you."

"Pardon?" Kelly asked, not quite following along.

Vance smirked and slid a memo across the desk. "I received this a few weeks ago," he said as Kelly took the letter.

As Kelly read the lengthy memo, several phrases jumped out at her such as 'almost a lifetime of experience', 'natural ability', and 'potential for expedited advancement'. The whole letter seemed to be one exceptional glowing letter of recommendation. But when she reached the end, Kelly read aloud to make sure she was really seeing what she thought she was. "'It is my recommendation that Kelly Gibbs be named my successor and/or replacement in my absence.'" Looking up sharply, Kelly said, "She wants _me_ to be Director of NCIS?"

"You seem surprised," Vance said, calmly. "She never told you?"

"No," Kelly replied, rereading the memo. "Lately Jenny—I-I mean Director Shepard has been having me shadow her. Accompanying her to conferences, speaking arrangements… But she enjoys my company, so…"

"Exactly how close are the two of you?" Vance asked, hoping for a confirmation of what he already knew.

"I thought you said this _wasn't_ an interrogation," Kelly said, suspiciously.

"It's not," Vance insisted.

Kelly stood and as she headed for the door, she said, "If you want me… you know where to find me."

-------------

As she drove down the street towards her father's house, Kelly noticed the FBI car out front and as she parked in the driveway, she smiled at the two agents and gave them a wave before going inside and down to the basement where McGee was trying to work with a very, very old 'laptop' computer. "I thought Dad got rid of that thing," Kelly said with a smile as she set her bag on the workbench.

"Well, it's not like we've got anything better," McGee grumbled as he tried to work with the barely-present wireless signal. "And if you're looking for Gibbs he went out. Didn't say when he'd be back."

"Well, then it's a good thing that I'm here to help you," Kelly replied. "Merry Christmas, Tim," she added as she opened her bag and pulled out a laptop and power cord. Seeing McGee's face, she said, "I swung by the apartment and told Maddie what was going on. She charmed our new neighbor and he agreed to loan us his laptop. It even has wireless internet."

"Kelly, I think I love you right now," McGee said, shutting down the old computer and firing up the other laptop.

"What did Vance want?" Ducky asked as he gathered up the photos of La Grenouille's corpse that he'd been studying.

"Just… wanted to talk…" Kelly said, evasively. Looking around, she asked, "Where's Ziva?"

"She went on a coffee run," McGee said, not looking at her.

"But Ziva doesn't drink…" Kelly nodded. "Ahhh… Got it." Looking at Ducky, she said, quietly, "Um… Ducky, I… I-I was wondering… if… If Jenny ever mentioned…"

Ducky nodded, sagely. "She did ask my opinion regarding your… possible promotion," he said in a low tone. Turning to look at McGee, Ducky said, "Kelly and I will be in the kitchen, Timothy."

"Right," McGee said, looking over his shoulder and watching the two head upstairs. As he turned back to the computer, he wondered what they were talking about.

--

"Assistant Director Vance showed me a memo he got from Jenny," Kelly explained as she put water in a kettle and threw a tea bag in a mug before pouring herself a cup of coffee. "She's… I don't know… grooming me to be her successor, I guess."

"Kelly…" Ducky said as he looked at her. "Jenny thinks of you as a daughter. She's watched you for years. She knows you're capable and she also knows that unlike Jethro, you are much more patient and… diplomatic."

"I'm not even 30!" Kelly protested. "I-I-I don't have the… the-the international experience Jenny has! And I don't have Dad's combat experience! And Jenny thinks I can lead a federal agency?"

"Choosing you as a successor means that if Jenny has a choice as to who takes her place, she wants it to be you," Ducky explained. "It doesn't mean that when this is over you're going to be named Director of NCIS."

As Kelly poured hot water into Ducky's mug, she said, "So what do I have to do with La Grenouille's murder?"

Ducky didn't reply to that, but he waited until Kelly looked him in the eye. "What makes you think that?"

"Because Fornell's been asking the team about my relationship with Tony and Jenny," Kelly replied, giving Ducky a look.

"Did you have anything to do with his death?" Ducky asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No!" Kelly said, glaring. "I was at home! Maddie and I were having coffee!" Calming down, Kelly sighed. "Sorry."

"Don't apologize," Gibbs said as he entered the kitchen.

"Sign of weakness," Kelly snapped, irritably. "Yeah. I know."

Smacking Kelly on the back of the head, Gibbs said, "Nope. Because you have nothing to apologize for."

"Did you find the FBI's witness, Jethro?" Ducky asked, sipping his tea.

"Yep," Gibbs replied, heading for the basement.

"Who is it?" Kelly asked as she followed her father with Ducky bringing up the rear.

"Jeanne Benoit," Gibbs replied as he reached the bottom of the basement steps.

"Wait," Kelly said as she saw Ziva standing with McGee. "How the hell did you…?" Looking at Ziva for a second, Kelly shook her head. How the hell did the Mossad agent get past her?

"Jeanne Benoit is the FBI's witness?" McGee said as Kelly climbed up on the boat hull and sat cross-legged while the others gathered around.

"Yep," Gibbs replied. "Says she saw Tony kill her father."

"She saw what?" Ducky asked.

"That's ridiculous," Kelly insisted.

"She sounded adamant," Gibbs replied, although his tone made it clear that he didn't believe it either.

"He had motive, means… and no alibi," Ziva said, sadly.

"I don't believe it," Kelly said, sliding off the hull and heading for the steps. "Tony's not a murderer. And we're going to prove it."

Once Kelly was gone, McGee and Ziva looked at Gibbs who said, "What?"

"What does Kelly have to do with La Grenouille's murder?" Ziva said, succinctly.

Looking at Ducky, Gibbs sighed before turning to the other two members of his team.

-------------------

Once her father contacted CIA operative Trent Kort, Kelly went to find Tony who was still in the interrogation room. "Want some company?" Kelly asked, sitting across from her boyfriend.

"Does Vance know you're here?" Tony asked, a bit nervous as he looked at the two-way mirror nervously.

"I don't care if he does," Kelly admitted. "I know you didn't kill Rene Benoit."

"Yeah?" Tony said, doubtfully. "How's that?"

"Because you couldn't kill someone's father in cold blood," Kelly replied. "You cared about Jeanne and even if it meant saving her life I know you couldn't hurt someone she cared about like that."

"Kelly…" Tony said, wanting to stop her before she went on too far. "I was in love with Jeanne. And if I had a choice between saving her or saving her father… I would have chosen her."

"I see," Kelly said, quietly, looking away. "I understand," she added, getting up and hurrying out of the room.

As Tony got up to follow her, he was stopped by Jeanne who said, "Did you mean that?"

It took a moment for Tony to understand that she'd heard but he nodded. "I did love you, Jeanne," Tony said, honestly.

"Did?" Jeanne repeated, looking into Tony's blue eyes… remembering the love and tenderness she'd always found there. Only now there was pain and regret as well. Looking at the doorway, she asked, "Do you love her?"

"Yes," Tony replied without hesitation.

"Have you told her?" Jeanne asked, not certain if she really wanted to know. When Tony nodded, Jeanne wanted to cry… to hit Tony… but she couldn't. She didn't have the energy for anger… or hatred.

"Jeanne…" Tony said, reaching for her hand.

Jeanne backed away. "No… Tony." Turning, she started down the hallway and out of sight.

Turning to go in the opposite direction, Tony stopped when he saw Kelly. "Kelly."

"Tony…" Kelly replied, not moving.

"I love you, Kelly," Tony said as he walked up to her and pulled her into his arms.

----------------------------

_One Month Later_

"Abby, I need you to run a blood sample," Kelly said quickly as she entered the forensics lab.

"New case?" Abby asked before taking a long drink of her Caf-Pow.

"Not… exactly," Kelly said, nervously as she handed over the sample. "But it's an emergency."

"No problem." Abby replied, as she put the sample into the mass spectrometer. "So how are you and Tony doing?"

"Um… that depends," Kelly said as she paced the length of the room.

"Depends on what?" Abby asked, as she checked the mass spec results. "Whoa." Looking at Kelly, she asked, "Does Gibbs know you and Tony have been…"

"Yeah," Kelly said, looking at the results.

"And has Tony…?" Abby asked, looking at Kelly's hands.

"Nope," Kelly replied, shaking her head.

"Does Ducky know?" Abby asked.

"He drew the blood," Kelly replied. "He probably suspects, but…" Pacing the room, Kelly couldn't believe this was happening.

"Is there anything I can do?" Abby asked.

"No," Kelly said, quickly. "Wait. Yes. Don't tell Dad."

"Are you sure?" Abby asked, nervously.

"Am I sure about not telling Dad Tony got me pregnant?" Kelly asked. "Oh, yeah. I'm _very_ sure."


	11. Intermission Part 2

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Filling in a few more details, specifically regarding Kelly and Kate Todd's impressions of Gibbs' daughter, including their first meeting.

Intermission Part 2

* * *

In the basement of her old house, Kelly Gibbs stood on one side of a boat frame, shaving one of the planks just like her father, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, had taught her years ago. Looking across the boat where her father was saving a plank on the other side, Kelly was about to say something when the phone rang. Setting her tools down, she went to the phone and picked it up, "Gibbs' residence. Hello, Agent DiNozzo," Kelly said, brightly as she smiled at her father who rolled his eyes before setting his own tools down. "I'd love to go out with you, Agent DiNozzo," Kelly went on as her father started towards her. Holding the phone away from her father, Kelly added, "Sure we can get married!" As Gibbs pulled the phone away, Kelly shouted, "I'd love to have kids with you!"

Frowning at Kelly, Gibbs said, "DiNozzo, if you value your life, you will forget that ever happened."

On the other end of the line, Tony DiNozzo chuckled before saying, "How is Gibbs, Jr.?"

"What do you want, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked. After hearing the report, he hung up and headed for the stairs. "Got to go, Kel," Gibbs said, quickly. "Got a case."

"Can I come?" Kelly asked, eagerly.

"Not this time," Gibbs said, hurrying up the stairs.

"Why not?" Kelly asked, a few steps behind.

Gibbs sighed as he stopped and turned. "Because it's a dead naval commander on Air Force One," Gibbs replied, instantly regretting it.

"Oh, Dad! You _have_ to let me come! How often do you get a chance to be on board the _President's_ _plane_?" Kelly said, following her father upstairs. "Come on, Dad! I _swear_ I won't ask for anything else for like… a year. Please? Please, please, please?"

"You don't have clearance," Gibbs protested, knowing he was unlikely to get out of this but some part of him was eager to hear how Kelly would talk him into letting her come along.

"Okay," Kelly admitted. "Good point." After a few moments, she said, "I'll carry your stuff. You can say I'm your assistant or something." When Gibbs gave her a doubtful look, Kelly sighed. "Okay, it's a lame reason but please, Dad. I _know_ you can come up with something."

Gibbs sighed and headed for his bedroom, calling over his shoulder, "Pack a bag. We leave at 1500." Hearing Kelly thank him, Gibbs looked at the picture of Shannon on his dresser… He could just hear his first wife's voice saying _'Jethro, when will you learn to say 'no'?'_ "You were always the one who said 'no', Shannon," Gibbs said to himself with a sad smile. "I never could."

-------------------

As Gibbs, Tony, Ducky, and Kelly headed for Air Force One, Gibbs said, "Kelly, you stick with me or Ducky."

"Yes, sir," Kelly replied, nervously.

Sensing his daughter's trepidation, Gibbs said, "You can stay outside the plane if you want."

"No, I'm coming," Kelly insisted, following the other up the ramp and onto the plane. Once inside the plane, Kelly wanted nothing more than to explore but catching her father's eye, she just stood to the side while Secret Service Agent Caitlin 'Kate' Todd reported on what had happened.

But at the end of the briefing, Kelly could tell Agent Todd was eying her suspiciously. "Little young to be an ME's assistant, aren't you, Miss…?" Agent Todd asked, drawing looks from the other people in the room.

"Gibbs," Kelly said, trying to be calm. "Agent Gibbs is my father," she added, nodding to him.

"Well, field trip is over, kid," Kate said getting ready to escort the young woman off the plane.

"She's not going anywhere," Gibbs said, giving Kate a look that clearly said it wasn't a subject for debate.

"Oh, yes, she is," Kate insisted. "I refuse to allow a civilian with no government clearance to remain on this plane."

Kelly crossed her arms and refused to move as she said, "Agent… Todd, is it? Let me spell this out for you."

Gibbs mentally groaned as he saw Kelly fixing Agent Todd with a look.

But Kelly wasn't about to be intimidated. "You have a dead naval officer which—regardless of the crime scene location—makes this case NCIS jurisdiction. But I understand that you take your job seriously, and you want to make sure this case doesn't have anything to do with an assassination attempt. But NCIS investigates crime scenes. Secret Service doesn't. So if you want to find out what happened, then I suggest you let us do our jobs."

Kate tried to stare down the younger woman, but she didn't even blink. Sighing, she turned to Gibbs. "Fine." Turning back to Kelly, she said, "But you and I are going to talk."

Kelly glanced over at her father who nodded. "Okay, Agent Todd," Kelly replied, being perfectly agreeable as she followed the Secret Service Agent to a conference area and sat down. "How can I help you, Agent Todd?"

"You can start by telling me just what the hell you think you're doing," Kate snapped, angrily.

"I… think I'm here because I know full well that my Dad's not good with interagency cooperation and someone has to keep him from saying something stupid," Kelly replied calmly.

"You think this is funny?" Kate said, leaning on the table. "Unless you forgot to tell me something, you have no clearance to be here in the first place. I don't care whose daughter you are, you are _not _allowed to be on this plane."

"Okay," Kelly admitted, not backing down, but also not going on the defensive. "No, I don't exactly have clearance to be here. I just… it's Air Force One! Just once… I wanted to see how the President travels." Looking at Kate, she asked, "You ever had the chance to fulfill a childhood fantasy?"

"Not exactly," Kate admitted. Trying to remain stern, she said, "You're still going to be in trouble for this, you know?"

Kelly smiled as she leaned back in her chair. "You'd think so, wouldn't you?"

"You've done stuff like this before, haven't you?" Kate asked, suspiciously.

Kelly shrugged. "With Leroy Jethro Gibbs as your father, you learn a few things."

"Your father taught you diplomacy, too?" Kate asked, doubtfully.

"Oh, God, no," Kelly laughed. "Dad's terrible at that kind of stuff. But you watch and you learn." Standing up, she said, "You can learn a lot from him, Agent Todd. If you want to."

-------------------------------------------

After quitting the Secret Service, Kate had been a little nervous about working at NCIS, despite Kelly's advice on everything for how to work with Jethro Gibbs to the NCIS dress code.

"Wear comfortable shoes," Kelly had said when Kate had called for advice. "And as far as clothes, don't wear anything that needs drycleaned or anything irreplaceable."

But walking towards her first crime scene as an NCIS agent, Kate could tell that it wouldn't be easy as she heard Gibbs arguing with someone.

"What's up with Gibbs?" Kate asked as she walked up to Tony.

"He's… not happy with who discovered the body," Tony timidly as he looked over at his boss.

"Well, who did find the body?" Kate asked, as she looked at the dead Marine on top of the SUV nearby.

"The two of you were _WHAT_?!" Gibbs shouted, angrily, making Kate jump.

"Kelly," Tony replied to Kate's question.

"We were out here, enjoying the night," Kelly said, an eye on Kate who was coming over, looking concerned. "David was… getting a little too frisky. I made it clear I didn't want to… you know. The next thing I know…" She pointed at the car and the dead body.

"Why didn't you tell me you were on a date last night?" Gibbs asked, giving his daughter a look.

"Because I was hoping to be able to have a _third_ date with the guy," Kelly replied, rolling her eyes.

"You've been out with this guy twice?!" Gibbs snapped.

"And this is why I don't tell you when I go on dates anymore!" Kelly shouted, angrily. "God, I can't _wait_ till Maddie and I hear about that apartment," She added, turning away, hands on her hips.

"What apartment?" Gibbs wanted to know.

Kelly crossed her arms, sighed, and turned to face her father again. "Maddie and I… we decided to get an apartment together. And… And Stephanie is helping with the rent."

"When were you going to tell me about this?" Gibbs asked, shocked.

"Well not in the middle of an empty lot with a dead Marine lying on the roof of my boyfriend's car, that's for sure!"

"'Boyfriend'?!" Gibbs exclaimed. "You said this was your second date!"

"Caitlin," Ducky said as he stood near the car, looking up at the dead Marine. "Could you give me a hand?"

Kate walked away from Kelly and Gibbs and headed towards the medical examiner. "Are they always like this?" Kate asked, looking concerned as she heard them shouting again.

"Sadly, yes," Ducky replied, nodding. "Kelly's mother died when the poor girl was a child. And I'm afraid since then, Gibbs has become increasingly afraid something will happen to his only child."

"That's no excuse for keeping Kelly from having a life," Kate protested. "She's an adult."

"I agree with you, Caitlin," Ducky nodded. "But you'd be hard pressed to get Gibbs to agree."

Kate sighed, and looked over at Kelly who was storming away. The poor kid could definitely use someone on her side…

----------------------------

_A few months later…_

If there was one thing Kate Todd was definitely learning, it was when it came to Kelly, there was no arguing with Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

Despite her numerous arguments with Gibbs, Kate watched as Kelly was permitted to tag along on cases—"You don't learn how to investigate crime scenes by reading a book. You learn by feeling… by doing."—As well as process evidence, talk with people…

And even come along to target practice.

Standing in the stall next to Kelly, Kate watched the young woman expertly check her weapon and load a fresh clip. "If you're nervous about shooting, today, Kelly…"

"You've never seen me shoot, have you?" Kelly replied with a smile as she put her earphones on and took aim. When the sirens started, Kelly lined up her shots and fired 5 rounds, pausing until the sirens ended.

"Just five shots?" Kate asked, as she walked down to examine her target.

"You only need one good shot to take down a suspect," Kelly said, looking at her target with a smile before turning to Kate's. "Nice headshots." Looking at Tony, she nodded, "Same for you, Tony."

"Well, thanks Kel—" Tony started to reply but he stopped when he saw Kelly's shots.

"Head shot, neck, shoulder, gun arm, and chest," Gibbs said, looking at his daughter's target. "Nice job."

"When did you learn how to shoot?" Kate asked, dumbfounded.

Kelly grinned. "When I was 13. No, wait… 14. By 15 I could shoot… probably as good as DiNozzo." Looking at Tony's target, she asked, "How are you going to explain to the hostage's family why she's missing an ear?"

"Not bad," Gibbs said, looking at all three targets. "All of you."

"Thanks, Dad," Kelly said, checking her clip again. "And I still have six rounds left."

"Yeah, yeah, rub it in," Tony grumbled. Looking at Kate while Gibbs and Kelly talked, Tony said, quietly, "There just one thing worse than target practice with NCIS."

"What's that?" Kate asked.

"Being out-shot by the boss's daughter who isn't even an agent," Tony said, looking at Kelly.

----------------------------------------------------

_One Year Later_

Stretching out in the NCIS gym, Kate looked at Tony who was subtly eyeing Kelly Gibbs who was working with one of the punching bags. "You like her, don't you?" Kate asked, glancing over at Kelly.

"Please," Tony said, rolling his eyes. "She's like my sister. And Gibbs? He'd kill me if I even asked his little girl on a date."

"DiNozzo!"

Tony groaned quietly when he heard his boss coming into the gym. "Yes, Boss?"

"You're starting with Kelly, today," Gibbs said as Kelly came over.

"Oh. Uh…" Tony looked nervously at Kelly and said, "I don't want to hurt you."

Kelly chuckled as she climbed into the boxing ring without putting boxing gloves or pads on. "Just avoid any leg shots."

"If your right leg is acting up again…" Tony said, hopefully.

Leaning on the ropes, Kelly smiled. "Come on, Agent DiNozzo."

Leaning towards Tony, Kate asked, "What happened to her leg?"

"Car accident when she was a kid," Tony whispered before putting his boxing gloves on and climbing into the ring.

Watching the two, Kate noticed that while Tony was dancing around Kelly and making a few play-jabs, Kelly was just staying in one spot, her eyes fixed on Tony. When one of Tony's jabs extended a bit too far, Kelly grabbed his arm, took a step towards him, and flipped him onto his back on the floor.

"Did Gibbs teach you that?" Tony groaned.

"Nope." Kelly said with a smile. "Kate."

Tony looked over at Kate who was smirking and he stood up before pulling his own gloves off. "You want to get into it? Fine."

Kelly smiled and chuckled. "Your funeral, Tony."

Watching Kelly and Tony fighting, Kate looked over at Gibbs who was watching his daughter with a look of pride on his face. "She's been able to fight since she was 5, right?"

"Yep," Gibbs said, succinctly.

After a few more moments, Kate asked, "Do Tony and Kelly usually—?"

"Yep," Gibbs replied again.

As Kelly took Tony down for a third time, Kate asked, "Does he ever--?"

"Nope," Gibbs said with a smile.


	12. Dog Tags

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Well, the co-write thing didn't work out, but I do have to thank Shaggy37 for some invaluable help getting this chapter started. I had to mess with a few things in this chapter but hopefully it all works.

Next chapter will be 'Judgment Day' and I'm going to try and make the end a really big tearjerker.

Chapter 10

* * *

_**Dog Tags**_

'_Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee…_'

Or as Tony now thought as he caught a wicked right cross to the face, more like 'Dodge like a mongoose, hit like an elephant'.

Outside the boxing ring, Gibbs, Ziva, and McGee stood watching Kelly fighting with Tony. While Tony had taken a stance at the start of the fight, Kelly had just smiled and with a quick leg sweep had knocked the older agent flat on his back. For Tony, the fight had gone downhill from there.

"Is this a carnival fight?" Ziva asked, looking at Gibbs.

"I think she meant a 'fair' fight, boss," McGee said, looking at Gibbs.

"Exactly," Ziva said, nodding.

"What, you don't think Tony can beat her?" McGee said, looking at Ziva. "Care to bet on that?"

Ziva smirked and nodded. "Very well, McGee. $100?"

"You're on," McGee replied, grinning smugly. Looking over at Gibbs, he asked, "How about you, boss? You in?"

"Sure," Gibbs replied, watching Tony and Kelly.

In the ring, Kelly was surprised when Tony finally managed to knock her down. As he moved to pin her, Kelly brought her knees up before swinging her legs around and pinning Tony. After a few moments, Kelly relaxed her hold and Tony stood up.

"Where'd you learn _that_?" Tony asked, groaning.

"Repeat of 'Walker, Texas Ranger'," Kelly replied with a grin before kicking her leg out and knocking Tony flat on his back. "Saw that on the movie 'Miss Congeniality'."

"I got to get a new girlfriend," Tony groaned under his breath. As he watched Kelly get to her feet, Tony started thinking. Holding out a hand, he said, "Help me up?"

Kelly rolled her eyes but as she took Tony's hand, she was surprised when he pulled her back down and rolling, pinned her to the mat.

As McGee watched, he said, "You know, let's make it interesting." Looking at Ziva and Gibbs, he added, "$400?" But hearing a loud 'Omph!' McGee groaned and looked at Ziva and Gibbs. "I… I… don't have my wallet on me right this second." Looking at Kelly who had walked to the edge of the ring, McGee asked, "Where'd you learn that move?"

"Ziva taught me that last week," Kelly replied, joining her father and beaming. "And Dad's been teaching me to fight since I was 5." Looking at McGee, she asked, "And that was $400 for each of us, right?"

But before McGee could reply, Gibbs' phone rang. "Yeah. Gibbs." After a moment, Gibbs hung up and looked at his team. "Get changed and grab your gear. Petty Officer Kyle Hanson didn't report for duty this morning."

As Kelly and Tony headed for the locker room, Kelly said, "So that crack you made about getting a new girlfriend…"

"Well, I… I-I wasn't serious," Tony replied, quickly, glancing over his shoulder to see Gibbs was.

"I know you weren't, Tony," Kelly said with a smile. Glancing at him, she said, "If you were serious… you wouldn't be standing right now."

As Tony grabbed a quick shower and changed clothes, he was starting to wonder if he should have started dating Ziva instead of Kelly.

----------

While Gibbs, Tony, and Ziva went to the front of Petty Officer Hanson's house, Kelly and McGee headed for the back, both with their guns drawn. Kelly could hear something or someone moving around inside and when she heard something breaking, she started for the door when suddenly she was knocked backwards.

Putting her arms up to defend herself against the animal—a large German Shepard—attacking her, Kelly felt the dog bite down on her arm. Punching the animal on the nose, it released Kelly's arm for a second before making a lunge for her neck. But before the dog could bite down hard, there was a gunshot and the dog fell to the ground.

Unable to hear anything over the sound of her heart pounding in her ears, it took a while before Kelly registered Ziva and McGee helping her up and into one of the patio chairs.

"Kelly. You okay?"

"Huh?" Kelly said, not quite focusing on who was talking. After a few moments, though, the adrenaline rush started to ebb and she found herself facing her father.

"Are you okay?" Gibbs asked again, pressing a hand to the wound on his daughter's neck.

"Yeah," Kelly finally breathed. "Yeah." Looking down at the dog, she said, "I don't think he is, though."

"DiNozzo, call Ducky and tell him he needs to get over here," Gibbs said, looking at his top senior agent.

Looking down at the dog and then back up quickly at McGee, Kelly said, "You killed the dog?"

"He is still breathing," Ziva said, kneeling down next to the German Shepard.

"What can I do to… Whoo…" Kelly had started to stand up but she felt light headed and she sat back down again.

"The only thing you're doing," Gibbs said as he looked at Kelly. "--Is waiting for Ducky to get here so he can check you out before he takes care of the body."

"Body?" Kelly asked, starting to get up again before sitting back down.

"Sit," Gibbs commanded, looking at Kelly before he headed back to the back door. Looking over his shoulder, he added, "Stay."

Hearing the dog whine, Kelly looked down. "Be glad _he's_ not the one who shot at you." At that, the dog whined again, looking up at Kelly with a forlorn look.

----

When Ducky finally arrived, he first checked the wound on Kelly's neck before turning his attention to the wound on her arm. "Well, you're fortunate, my dear. I think you'll be able to avoid getting stitches this time" After field-dressing the wounds, Ducky eyed Kelly. "When was your last tetanus shot?"

"6 months ago," Kelly replied. Seeing the tiny look of surprise on the medical examiner's face, Kelly smiled. "Dirty basement, wood, nails… bare feet."

"Ahhh, yes," Ducky replied, nodding as he straightened up. "Are you still feeling lightheaded?"

"Not as much," Kelly replied as Gibbs came over. "Dad, I'm fine."

"Uh-huh," Gibbs said doubtfully. "You're still going with McGee to take the evidence back to Abby."

"I don't need a babysitter, Dad," Kelly insisted as she stood and headed to the car where McGee and Palmer were loading the dog into the backseat after McGee muzzled the animal and tied it's paws.

"Don't argue," Gibbs said, curtly as he went to join Tony and Ziva.

Catching Ducky's look as he moved to follow Gibbs, Kelly said, "I'm fine, Ducky. Really."

Ducky nodded and went into the house as Kelly stood and slowly made her way to the car and very carefully sat in the passenger side and fastened her seatbelt before McGee got in and started the car.

----

Pulling into the evidence garage, Kelly didn't even wait for McGee to turn the car off before she jumped out and made a run for the nearest trashcan, throwing up what little breakfast she'd had earlier.

"Oh, my God!" Abby exclaimed hurrying over as Kelly stood up, wiping her mouth. "What happened to you?"

"I was attacked by a dog," Kelly replied as Abby carefully pulled back a corner of the bandage on her neck. "Apparently, he didn't like us serving a warrant."

"What happened to the dog?" Abby asked, as she saw McGee get out of the car.

"McGee shot him," Kelly replied, sitting down as Abby went to the backseat of the car to tend to the dog.

"It was self-defense!" McGee exclaimed when Abby turned to him, glaring. "I was trying to help Kelly!"

"By shooting that cute little dog?!" Abby shouted, angrily.

"He's not cute and little!" McGee protested. "He-He's vicious! And large!"

"How could you shoot an innocent animal, McGee?" Abby went on, glaring at him.

"Kelly, back me up on this!" McGee said, turning to Kelly who had bolted for the trashcan again. Turning back to Abby, he said, "I didn't have a choice, Abby."

"He's right," Kelly said, shakily as she stood up again.

"I still can't believe you shoot an innocent animal," Abby said to McGee as she grabbed his jacket and tucked it around the dog.

"Abby, that's my jacket!" McGee protested. "Don't you think you're compromising the evidence with my $500 Hugo Boss?"

Straightening up, Abby turned to McGee, daggers in her gaze. "If you think I can't distinguish the fibers from your stupid jacket from the evidence on the dog, you don't know me, McGee! And right now, I don't want to know you!"

Despite the pain from her arm and neck, Kelly couldn't help smiling as Abby petted the German Shepard, saying, gently, "Good dog…" Standing up, she turned to McGee and glared at him once again. "Bad McGee!"

----------

Standing at the sink in the ladies' room, Kelly looked herself over before grabbing her bloody clothes. She'd changed out of the outfit she'd worn earlier and after brushing her teeth twice, she finally felt ready to get back to work. Sort of…

Her stomach was still flat but that would change. And before she started to show she'd have to tell the director about her pregnancy… And her father… and the baby's father…

"Nice little mess you're in," Kelly said to her reflection in the mirror. After deciding against going back to the squad room, she headed down to Abby's lab where the forensic scientist was getting the evidence off the dog.

"Good boy," Kelly said when the dog started towards her.

"He is," Abby agreed. "When I finish getting the evidence off of Jethro—"

"Jethro?" Kelly asked, slowly kneeling down as the dog came over to her. Scratching him behind the ears, Kelly felt her anger at the dog ebb a bit as 'Jethro' nosed the bandage on her neck and whine before licking the bandage on her arm. Trying not to smile, Kelly looked into the dog's eyes. She could understand why Abby named the dog Jethro. Those eyes were just like her father's: quiet, reserved… kind, but with strength and loyalty. "You're sorry you attacked me, aren't you?" Kelly whispered, nuzzling the dog. Leaning in closer, she whispered, "Don't apologize. Sign of weakness." Hearing Abby chuckling behind her, Kelly looked up.

"So what do you think?" Abby asked, kneeling down as well.

"I think I want a dog," Kelly replied, turning back to Jethro the dog.

"Want to help me clean him up?" Abby asked, looking at Kelly.

--

After cleaning up the dog and swabbing the canine's mouth for DNA, Abby smiled at him as Kelly started running the DNA against the swabs from Petty Officer Hanson's wounds.

"Who's a good Jethro?" Abby said, petting the dog as she checked his mouth for any evidence she may have over looked.

"I'm a good… Jethro," Gibbs said, coming in and looking at the German Shepard.

"Don't be mad," Abby said, quickly as she stood and looked at her boss. "Be flattered. He's just so strong and silent, and handsome… so I called him 'Jethro'."

Looking over at Kelly, Gibbs raised an eyebrow at his daughter who shrugged. "He has your eyes… although his are brown instead of blue."

"He attacked you," Gibbs said, gesturing at the dog who barked twice.

"And he's sorry for that," Kelly replied as Jethro came up and put a paw on her leg.

"Dog belongs in the kennel," Gibbs said, quietly.

Kelly looked at Jethro and nodded at the kennel, smiling when the dog went right into the crate and turned around, lying down as resting his head on his paws. "He's innocent, Dad," Kelly said as she closed the kennel door.

"Kelly," Gibbs said, a slight note of warning in his voice.

"I know," Kelly went on as she stood up. "The evidence could say otherwise and even if Jethro _is_ innocent he doesn't belong to NCIS. You don't have to say it, Dad.'

"Good," Gibbs replied with a nod.

"We'll let you know when we find something, Gibbs," Abby threw in.

"Okay," Gibbs said as he noticed Kelly subtly moving so she was standing in front of the kennel, her hands behind her back. As he headed for the door, Gibbs said, "Dog stays in the kennel, guys."

----

While Tony and Ziva headed back to Pax River, Kelly went to Autopsy and found Ducky and Palmer finishing up on Kyle Hanson.

"Ahhh, Kelly," Ducky said, looking up. "How are you feeling?"

"I'll live," Kelly said as she approached the corpse, looking at the bite wounds. "How come the wounds at the neck are so much worse?"

"Does your father know you're down here?" Ducky asked, with a slight smile.

"Don't ask," Kelly muttered, still looking at the body. "The wounds?"

"It looks as though Petty Officer Hanson was mauled," Ducky replied, frowning. "By a dog."

"Do we know for sure which dog?" Kelly asked, not sure if she wanted to know the answer.

"Not yet," Ducky said, quietly. "Kelly…"

"You didn't see his eyes, Ducky," Kelly insisted. "That dog did _not_ kill Hanson."

"His eyes told you that?" Ducky asked, intrigued.

"It was like looking into Dad's eyes," Kelly replied.

Ducky was about to reply when Gibbs entered the room. "Ducky? You got that report yet?"

"Oh, you mean the one that says Jethro's a killer and has to be put down like the dog he is?" Kelly said, crossing her arms and glaring at her father.

"I thought the dog's name was 'Butch'," Ducky said, confused as he grabbed his report off of his desk.

"Abby renamed him," Gibbs explained as he indicated Ducky and Kelly were to follow him as he headed for Abby's lab.

In the lab, Kelly said, "Hanson was mauled by a dog, Abbs. Most likely Jethro."

"No way," Abby protested. "I mean, yes, I found Hanson's flesh and hair follicles from his arm in Jethro's teeth but he was probably just trying to save his owner."

Kelly sighed. "Abby… I know how you feel. But… The evidence is there. I'm sorry."

Abby crossed her arms and gave Gibbs and Kelly a look. "I don't care what the evidence says. Sometimes you have to go with your gut. And my gut says that Jethro did _not_ kill Petty Officer Hanson."

Kelly looked at her father, then at Abby. "Abby… Sometimes… your gut can be wrong. Look… Maybe—_Maybe_ Jethro is innocent. But if he is, how can you prove it with Hanson's flesh in the dog's teeth, bite marks on the body…" When Abby's computer beeped, she added, "A positive DNA match on the dog. How can he be innocent?"

"I don't know," Abby admitted. But after a moment, she strengthened her resolve. "But he is and I _will_ prove it."

"Abbs," Gibbs started to say but Kelly stopped him.

"Dad, you and the others need to find out who was pushing drugs through the base," Kelly said, ignoring the look she was getting. "I'll work with Abby."

"Kelly…" Gibbs said with an exasperated sigh.

"If it turns out Jethro's a killer… you'll be the first to know," Kelly promised.

Once Ducky and Gibbs had left the lab, Abby gave Kelly a look that was morose and angry. "How could you take his side?"

"I'm not," Kelly insisted, pulling a chair over to the computer. "I'm with you, Abby. But Dad's not going to trust your gut on this one. He's going to believe the evidence. So let's get everything together and see if we can figure this out."

"You really think Jethro's innocent?" Abby asked, doubtfully

Kelly shrugged. "Maybe," she said, quietly.

-------

But even after coming through everything, there was more evidence condemning Jethro than exonerating him.

"We have cocaine in the dog, bite marks and Jethro's saliva…" Kelly said, sadly as she sat at the computer. "On the plus side we have a flea on an otherwise immaculate German Shepard." Resting her chin on her hand, and looking at the computer she heard a soft woof at her feet and looked at Jethro who was still in the kennel. "You're screwed, boy. I'm sorry."

Jethro barked four times and Kelly smiled as she imagined the dog saying, "Don't apologize. It's a sign of weakness." Looking at Abby as she sat up, Kelly said, "Let's say the flea _didn't_ come from Jethro."

"It had to come from somewhere," Abby replied. "Maybe… another dog?"

"Then let's find it," Kelly said, standing up. "Bring Jethro."

"Are you sure?" Abby asked, doubtfully as she opened the kennel.

"If we leave him here he'll be gone when we get back," Kelly replied. "Let's go."

----

It didn't take much to make Jenny suspicious. Call it Gibbs' influence, but catching Ducky as he headed into the elevator, Jenny waited till the doors closed before stopping the elevator.

"Something on your mind, Director?" Ducky asked politely.

"How's Kelly?" Jenny asked, giving Ducky a look that clearly sent the message that she knew something was going on.

"Doing fine," Ducky replied. After a moment, he asked, "Has she told you?"

"Told me what?" Jenny asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ducky smiled slyly. "I'm afraid I can't tell you what you want to know, Director."

"If there's something wrong with one of my agents, I need to know, Dr.," Jenny insisted.

Ducky shook his head. "I can't. I'm sorry." As Jenny started the elevator again, he added, "And before you make the suggestion, Jethro doesn't know either."

----------

On the way to Pax River, Kelly went over printouts of the crime scene photos, looking for anything that would explain so much evidence pointing to Jethro the dog who was lying on the backseat of Kelly's car. Behind the wheel, Abby glanced over at the photos as she drove. "Anything?"

Kelly shook her head as she looked at a picture of the bite marks on Petty Officer Hanson's neck. There was something about it… something not quite right. "Is Jethro an attack dog or a drug dog?" Kelly asked, looking at the picture of the cocaine. Seeing that Abby wasn't sure where the question was going, Kelly said, "Drug dogs are trained to hold, but not bite packages of drugs."

"But if someone was trying to get the drugs away from the dog," Abby said, following the line of thought. "The bag could have ripped, and Jethro could have swallowed or inhaled it."

"Drug dogs are trained to take down dealers," Kelly went on as she showed her badge at the entrance to the base. "Jethro did what he was trained to do but because he was high, he didn't realize how aggressive he was being."

"That still doesn't clear him, though," Abby said, sadly as she looked at the rearview mirror at the dog lying down in back.

"No," Kelly admitted. "But maybe what we find at the crime scene will."

--

Parking outside Hanson's house, Abby went to open the back door of the car but as Kelly got out, Jethro bolted from the car and raced across the yard and to a wooded area where he stopped and started digging in the loose dirt.

Kneeling down next to the dog, Kelly started digging nearby and pulled out a broken knife. "Okay…" Looking up at Abby, she asked, "You wouldn't happen to have an evidence bag on you, would you?"

"I think we're going to need more than that," Abby said, pointing to where Jethro had been digging.

Kelly stood and looked just as her phone rang. Answering it, she said, "McGee, we're at the base. You better get down here. I think we've got another body and I found something very interesting." After signing off with McGee, Kelly pulled a plastic bag out of her pocket and dropped the knife into it. "You know what…" Her face scrunched in thought, Kelly hurried back to the car, Abby and Jethro hot on her heels. Pulling out the photos she'd been looking at earlier, Kelly leaned against the car as she pulled out the picture of PO Hanson's neck wounds. Pointing at the wounds in the picture, Kelly turned to Abby and asked, "What does that look like to you?"

"Dog bites," Abby replied, confused.

"No," Kelly said, shaking her head. Pointing to a particular puncture wound, she said, "That."

"That's not from a dog," Abby said, slowly.

"No," Kelly agreed, looking at the photo again. "More like the tip of a knife." Looking around, she frowned. "We checked the house. We didn't find a knife tip anywhere."

"And if it was in the body, Ducky would have brought it down," Abby added.

--

Gibbs wasn't happy when he finally arrived with McGee, Ducky, and Palmer. Even when Kelly handed over the knife and showed him the photo.

"You shouldn't have taken the dog, Abby," Gibbs said, looking at his forensic scientist.

"Dad, _I_ told Abby we needed to bring Jethro with us," Kelly insisted. "And if we hadn't, we wouldn't have found the knife or the bones."

"Bones of what?" Gibbs asked, looking at Ducky.

"Give me a moment, Jethro," Ducky muttered, turning when he heard barking at his shoulder. "I wasn't actually talking to you," Ducky said to the dog. "And, er… you may want to cover your eyes." Turning back to the bones, he brushed away more of the dirt. "What's here is not human." Kneeling down behind Jethro the dog, Abby covered the dog's eyes as Ducky concluded, "It's canine."

----

Back in the lab, Kelly checked the knife for prints as well as combed through the old evidence to see if the knife tip turned up while Abby stayed in her office, working on other stuff with the door locked.

Hearing someone come into the lab, Kelly looked up to see Petty Officer Erica Pirelli accompanied by McGee.

"You're here for Jethro… aren't you?" Kelly said, sadly.

"I'm sorry, ma'am," Pirelli said.

"They're in there," Kelly said, pointing as she turned back to the knife.

But when Jethro started barking loudly and aggressively, Kelly turned and watched the dog as well as PO Pirelli and McGee.

"Pay no attention to him, Jethro," Abby said, not looking up.

"Abby, open the door," McGee said, knocking on the glass. When Abby didn't reply, McGee said, "Jethro has to go now."

When Jethro started growling, Kelly stood and walked over to the glass, blocking the dog's view of McGee. When Jethro continued to growl and bark, Kelly moved so she was in front of Petty Officer Pirelli. When Jethro's growls grew quieter, Kelly turned to face the other woman. "I guess the dog doesn't like you. I wonder why."

"Kelly, come on," McGee said, looking at Abby again. "Abby, open the door right now."

"Do it, Abby," Kelly said, crossing her arms and watching Pirelli who took a few steps back as Abby stood, facing the sliding glass door as Jethro started growling louder. Turning to look at Abby, Kelly said, "Open the door, Abby."

But before Abby could open the door, Pirelli grabbed the broken knife and Kelly, pressing the broken edge to Kelly's throat while grabbing the arm that Jethro had bitten before.

"Erica, what the hell are you doing?" McGee said, shocked as he reached for his weapon.

Pressing the knife edge harder against Kelly's neck, Pirelli said, "Don't do that, Timothy."

"She's the one who's been pushing cocaine through the base," Kelly said, trying to let the Petty Officer see that she was scared. "Killed Petty Officer Hanson, too, I'll bet."

"Prove it," Pirelli said, walking with Kelly backwards towards the door.

"Your prints are on the handle of the broken knife we found yesterday," McGee said, looking at the computer match that popped up on the screen. Catching Kelly's eye, McGee moved closer to the wall, blocking Pirelli's view of Abby who quickly punched in her code to unlock the door.

"Step back to where you were," Pirelli ordered as she reached the doorway.

"Yes, ma'am," McGee said, dodging quickly as Jethro bounded out of the office and lunged at Pirelli, knocking her down as well as Kelly who scrambled to her feet.

"Jethro, no!" Kelly said as the dog went to attack Pirelli. When Jethro gave her a slightly puzzled look, Kelly said, firmly, "No, Jethro."

"You okay?" McGee asked as he pulled out his handcuffs and hurried to Pirelli.

"I'm fine, Tim," Kelly said. "Jethro… off."

Jethro backed away but at McGee handcuffed the murderous petty officer, the dog started pacing before coughing up blood and collapsing.

"Jethro!" Abby exclaimed as she ran to the dog's side.

Bringing over a small cart, Kelly grabbed Abby's spare lab coat and after a bit of work Abby and Kelly got Jethro on the cart as McGee handcuffed Pirelli and took her to one of the interrogation.

Hurrying up to Autopsy, Abby shouted, "Ducky, I need help!"

"What happened?" Ducky asked as he dashed over.

"He was pacing then he started coughing up blood," Kelly replied.

"Get the x-ray machine, Mr. Palmer," Ducky ordered as he went to look at the dog.

"Is he dying?" Abby asked, worried as Kelly scratched Jethro's ears.

"I don't know," Ducky said, feeling entirely out of his element. A live body was challenging enough but a live body that wasn't human…?

"That's not a good answer!" Abby snapped, fear heavy in her voice.

"You must calm down!" Ducky ordered as Palmer brought the x-ray machine over.

Once they had the x-ray, Kelly looked at it, pointing. "There. In the stomach."

"What is it?" Abby asked as Ducky and Palmer prepared to operate on the dog.

"My guess?" Kelly said, looking at Abby. "The knife tip."

"What?" Abby asked, confused.

"Jethro must have been licking Hanson's neck wound and accidentally swallowed the tip of the knife," Kelly explained, turning to Ducky just as he managed to extract the knife tip. "Ducky."

Getting an evidence jar, Kelly took the knife tip back down to the lab and after pulling on latex gloves, she grabbed the broken knife Pirelli had dropped on the floor when Jethro had pounced on her. After matching the tip to the knife, Kelly called the squad room and after a few moments, she headed to Interrogation Room B where Pirelli was still sitting, handcuffed.

"So we've got Hanson, an unidentified dog… and almost Jethro," Kelly said, circling the table.

"What are you talking about?" Pirelli said, confused.

"Your victims," Kelly clarified. "Jethro's going to be fine. We managed to remove the tip of your boot knife and repair the damage." Smiling, she said, "So you just have to worry about two murders."

"Is that all?" Pirelli said, her eyes cold as she looked at Kelly.

"Yeah," Kelly said, leaving the room and heading back to Autopsy to check on Jethro.

-------------------

"Commander Weatherly," Gibbs said as he walked into the man's office a few days later.

"Special Agent Gibbs," Michael Weatherly said with a nod. "Can't believe it was Petty Officer Pirelli. She was a good officer. "How's Butch?"

"You mean 'Jethro'? Gibbs asked with a smile. At the commander's perplexed look, he said, "He's been renamed. Actually, that's why I'm here."

Michael smiled as he sat behind his desk and guestured at one of the chairs in the office. When Gibbs sat down, Michael said, "Butch—_Jethro_… is a good dog. A fine canine officer. One of the best I've ever seen."

"My forensics tech is the one who named him 'Jethro'," Gibbs replied. "She and my daughter have become attached to the dog. And the dog likes them."

"Agent Gibbs, if I let all of my handlers keep the dogs they take care of…" Michael said, sadly.

"My daughter's the one who was attacked by the dog at Petty Officer Hanson's house," Gibbs said, not ready to give in. "Couple months ago, someone broke into her apartment… kidnapped her best friend… Kelly could use the extra protection, Commander."

"Agent Gibbs…" Michael protested. After a few moments, though, he sighed. "Okay." Smiling, he said, "Jethro's a good dog. He deserves to be happy."

'Thank you very much, sir," Gibbs said with a smile as he stood up.

-------------

Coming back from class, Maddie was surprised when she found a German Shepard lying on the couch and watching TV. Seeing Kelly in the kitchen, Maddie asked, "What's with the dog?"

"His name is Jethro," Kelly explained. "He's formerly with the Pax River Naval Base. He's clean, quiet, loyal, and he's not going to stalk you."

Maddie laughed at the last part and knelt down next to the couch, petting the dog. "The perfect guy, huh?"

"Something like that," Kelly replied.

After a few moments, Maddie stood and asked, "Do you mind if he sleeps on my bed tonight?"


	13. Judgment Day

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Gibbs, Tony, and Jenny find out Kelly's secret and because it didn't seem to work as well, Jenny is _not_ sick. The funeral was a bit tricky, but hopefully it's emotional.

And something I mention later in the chapter, Gibbs' nickname for Kelly when she was a child was 'Sniper' or 'Snipe'.

The next chapter will be a blending of the first three episodes of season 6 followed by 'Heartland'.

And just something I'm hoping readers can help with: There's an NCIS fic I read a while ago that was basically the team (with Ziva and Jenny) in Gibbs' basement kind of doing a bonding, truth/dare type… thing. I know there was discussion of who has tattoos or scars where. Anywho… if anyone knows where I can find that story on the site, let me know. It'd be much appreciated.

Chapter 11

* * *

_**Judgment Day**_

"Kelly, Ziva, DiNozzo… pack your bags," Gibbs said as he entered the squad room. "Director's going to LA. You're escorting her."

Kelly looked up nervously and glanced first at Tony before looking at her father. "Um… I-I'm… I haven't really been feeling great, Dad… I-I'm not sure I should…"

"Director asked for you personally," Gibbs replied, eying his daughter.

"O-Okay," Kelly said, nodding. "Right." Getting up she grabbed her bag and packed up her laptop computer before going to the elevator. But just as she hit the button for the ground floor, Tony jumped in and once the elevator was moving, he stopped it. "Tony, that's really not a good idea right now."

"Why not?" Tony asked, looking at his girlfriend. "What's going on? You've been sick… skipping cases…"

"I'm pregnant," Kelly said, not looking at Tony.

"Wait, you're… you're what?" Tony asked, not sure if he heard her correctly.

"Pregnant," Kelly repeated. "With child. Bun in the oven. Knocked up! As in you are staring down the barrel of a shotgun wedding!" she went on, practically shouting.

"Um… okay…" Tony said, nervously. "Does Gibbs know?"

"If he does he's being very calm about it," Kelly replied, running a hand though her hair. "Look, what are we going to do?"

"We're going to go home, pack—"

"Running away. Great plan!" Kelly said, irritably. "Or did you forget Dad's a former sniper?"

"Then we meet with Ziva and the Director at the airport," Tony finished calmly. "Once we're in LA we'll talk to Jenny and see what she can do to help. Okay?"

"Okay," Kelly said, nodding. "Okay. Now please start the elevator again cause I think I'm going to throw up again."

-------------

_Los Angeles, California_

Jenny Shepard was no fool. She could tell something was going on with Kelly Gibbs and there was a shortlist as far as the possibilities. And considering how often Kelly was going to the restroom on the flight and how pale she looked, Jenny's money was on a pregnancy.

Once she and the others arrived at the hotel, Kelly made a run for the bathroom and after telling Tony and Ziva to go up to their rooms, Jenny went into the lobby bathroom and found Kelly coming out of one of stalls.

"I'm fine, Director," Kelly said, shakily as she went to the sink to rinse her mouth out and splash water on her face. After a few moments, though, Kelly started crying.

"It's okay," Jenny said, handing Kelly one of the faux-fabric hand towels on the counter.

"No, it's not," Kelly sobbed. "Dad's gonna kill me when he finds out."

"No, he won't," Jenny assured Kelly.

Kelly shook her head as she dried her face and sniffled. "You don't know Dad."

"Yes, I do," Jenny assured her. "I know you're the center of your father's world… and that he loves you more than anything… or any_one_ else." When Kelly looked up as her, Jenny gave the young woman a smile. "When we get back, you and I can talk to Jethro. Alright?"

Kelly nodded and wiped her eyes. "Thanks, Jenny."

"You're welcome," Jenny replied, hugging Kelly. "Come on. We'll get cleaned up and then head for dinner. Okay?"

--

Opening the door that adjoined the two hotel rooms, Ziva stepped into the room Tony and the director were sharing and crossed her arms before fixing her partner with a look. "Are you going to tell me what is going on between you and Kelly?"

"No," Tony replied, tossing his jacket over the back of the armchair in the corner.

"I am not stupid, Tony," Ziva said, gently, softening her gaze. "First, Kelly avoids an overseas trip to Baghdad. Then she gets sick at a crime scene a few weeks ago… She did not want to come on this trip and she spent a majority of the flight in the bathroom." Putting a hand on Tony's arm, Ziva asked, "How long has Kelly been sick?"

Part of Tony wanted to correct the Mossad officer, but at the same time, Tony had an image of what Ziva—and Gibbs—would do to him if they found out the truth, so Tony just replied, "She found out about two months ago."

"Does Gibbs know?" Ziva asked, sadly.

"I doubt it," Tony replied, sitting down. "I just found out before we left." Hearing a knock on the door, Tony got up quickly and went to open the door for Kelly and Jenny. "So… shall we head for dinner? I hear there's a great Italian place a couple blocks from here."

"Sounds good," Kelly said, smiling. "I'll just… go brush my teeth first."

----

The next morning, Ziva was awoken by the sounds of Kelly throwing up in the bathroom. Getting up, Ziva went to her overnight bag and pulled out the black pantsuit she'd brought to wear to retired NCIS Special Agent Decker's funeral. Seeing Kelly come out of the bathroom, Ziva asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Tony told you?" Kelly asked as she pulled out a navy blue outfit from her own overnight bag.

"I figured it out for myself," Ziva replied. "Tony filled me in on some of the details." After fixing her hair she asked, "Have you told Gibbs?"

"Yeah, how the hell am I supposed to have that conversation?" Kelly asked, pulling her hair back into a ponytail and doing her make-up.

"I would not think this is the kind of thing you should keep from him," Ziva said, quietly.

"I'll tell Dad when we get back to DC," Kelly promised. Seeing Ziva's melancholy expression, Kelly smiled. "It's good news, Ziva. It's just… bad timing."

"'Bad timing'?" Ziva repeated. "And what would good timing be?"

"Well, after I was married would have been great," Kelly replied. After a few moments, she asked, "What exactly did Tony say?"

"I asked him how long you've been sick," Ziva replied. "And Tony said you found out a few months ago."

Kelly laughed and smiled at Ziva who looked even more confused. "_Morning_ _sickness_, Ziva," Kelly said, grinning.

"Morning… You are pregnant?" Ziva said, feeling relieved. But a few moments later she asked, "Tony is the father?"

"Good morning," Tony said as he opened the door. "Ready?"

"Yes," Kelly said, grabbing her purse. "Let's go."

----

After the funeral service, Kelly stood with Tony and Ziva while Jenny gave a sound bite for the few reporters who were clustering nearby. "You okay?" Tony asked, looking at Kelly who was looking at some of the people at the front of the church.

"Fine," Kelly said, distractedly. There was something about the guy at the register book that was making the hair on the back of her neck prickle. Pulling out her camera phone, she waited until the man turned before catching a slightly blurry picture of him. Seeing Jenny coming towards them, Kelly asked, "Ready, Ma'am?"

"Not yet, Ms. Gibbs," Jenny replied. Turning to Tony and Ziva, she said, "We're not due to fly out of here until tomorrow. Why don't the two of you take the rest of the trip off? Relax. Enjoy the day."

"Director?" Ziva asked, puzzled.

"I'm fine, Ziva," Jenny assured her. Turning to Kelly, she said, "Why don't I drop you off at the hotel?"

Kelly was about to ask 'What about Tony and Ziva?' but the look Jenny gave her seemed to indicate there was something else going on. "Sure."

"Don't worry about us," Tony hollered as he watched Jenny and Kelly head for the car. "We'll figure something out." As the car pulled away, Tony couldn't shake the feeling that there was something amiss.

----------

Once in her hotel room, Kelly changed out of her dress outfit and pulled on jeans and a tank top before grabbing the denim jacket her father had given her last Christmas. Making sure she had her knife, 9mm and her backup .38, Kelly went next door and found Jenny pulling on a light blue blouse. "So… where are we going?"

"_We_ are not going anywhere," Jenny corrected. "I'll be back later." She didn't add what she was thinking which was _'I hope'_.

"You ask for me to come along just for a personal security detail then ask me to come along while you leave Tony and Ziva behind," Kelly protested. "You want me involved."

"That was before I knew you were…" Jenny sighed. "I don't want to put you in any danger."

Crossing her arms, Kelly stood her ground and she said, "Director, either I'm going with you or neither of us is going anywhere."

Facing off with Kelly, Jenny finally sighed. "If there's a bad situation I want you to get out of it as soon as possible," Jenny ordered. "Am I being clear?"

"Crystal," Kelly replied, grabbing her purse before following Jenny out of the room.

--

After driving for a while, Jenny finally pulled into the parking lot of a rather seedy motel. "Last chance," Jenny said as she parked and turned the car off. "You can take the car. I'll find a ride."

"I'm not going anywhere," Kelly assured her.

"Okay," Jenny said as she got out of the car.

"Take it the Ritz was booked," said a gruff voice behind them. Whirling around, Kelly looked surprised to see former NCIS Agent Mike Franks walking up holding an ice bucket in one hand and a bottle of bourbon in the other. "What the Hell are you doin' here?" Franks asked, looking at Kelly.

"I could ask you the same thing," Kelly replied, slamming the car door and striding over to the older man who set down the bucket and bottle. Putting her hand on her hips, Kelly looked over the tops of her sunglasses, giving her father's old boss a look before she smiled and hugged him. "It's good to see you again."

"You, too, kid," Franks replied, grinning. Looking at Kelly then at Jenny, Franks nodded. "Ahhh… I get it. You brought the kid along as incentive to help you. Am I right?"

"It's a bit more complicated than that," Jenny replied.

Franks looked at the two women and as he eyed Kelly he raised an eyebrow. "I see. Well… Let's get out of this sun and we'll talk."

Kelly nodded as her stomach started heaving. "Good idea."

But as Jenny started for the motel, Franks stopped Kelly. "You sure you should be here?"

"You gonna stop me?" Kelly asked, trying not to throw up all over Franks.

"If anything happens to you or Jenny…" Franks said with a knowing look.

"I'm fine," Kelly insisted, hurrying after Jenny and barely making it to the bathroom before losing her breakfast.

-------------

Back in Washington, DC, Gibbs couldn't shake the feeling that something was going on with his daughter. Going down to Autopsy, Gibbs found Ducky and the ME's assistant, Jimmy Palmer working on CPR recertifications. Seeing Gibbs' look, Ducky said, "Uh, give us a minute, will you, Mr. Palmer?"

"Sure, Doctor," Jimmy said as he left the room.

"I know that look, Jethro," Ducky said, as he had a sneaking suspicion why his old friend was there. "But I'm afraid I'm all out of secrets."

"Kinda doubt that, Duck," Gibbs replied.

"Really?" Ducky said, a slight defensive edge in his tone. "And what makes you say that?"

"Kelly," Gibbs said, succinctly. Seeing his friend's 'hand caught in the cookie jar' expression, Gibbs added, "You know?"

"Know what?" Ducky asked, dodging the question.

Gibbs couldn't help a smile. "Duck, I've been married 3 times. I have a daughter." Giving Ducky a look, he added, "I know about Kelly."

Ducky nodded. "Did she tell you?"

"Nope," Gibbs replied, shaking his head. "Tony?"

"Most likely," Ducky said as he started cleaning his desk. "Why didn't you confront him?" When Ducky didn't get a response he turned around. "Jethro, I know how upset you are about this… But Kelly is a grown woman and capable of making her own decisions."

"A bad decision," Gibbs threw in.

"Jethro…" Ducky said, quietly.

"I know Tony cares about Kelly," Gibbs said, not wanting to hear his friend's lecture. "But he got my little girl pregnant."

"And most likely Tony will put a ring on Kelly's hand before they come back from California," Ducky insisted… hopefully. "Jethro… what's really bothering you?"

Gibbs shook his head and left Autopsy. He _was_ happy for Kelly… and a part of him was a little excited about being a grandfather… But as Gibbs stepped into the elevator, he knew that there was someone who would want to know about Kelly's condition. And the last person Gibbs wanted to talk to was his father.

-------------------------------

_Los Angeles, CA_

A visit to Agent William Decker's house had led to an old, rundown diner in the middle of nowhere.

As Kelly got out of the car, she looked around. "Am I the only one who thinks this is the perfect place for an ambush?"

"Low scrubbrush, flat… lots of sun…" Franks said as he looked around. "No, kid… It's not just you." Looking at Jenny, he asked, "So what are we looking for?"

"No idea," Jenny replied as she went to the door and unlocked it. Once inside she started to look around, hoping something would jump out at her or there'd be some sort of clue.

"Thought you knew where this insurance policy was," Franks grumbled after about half an hour.

"I never said I knew," Jenny corrected. "Decker said I did."

"How did you guys code stuff back in the day?" Kelly asked, looking at some of the pictures on the wall.

"Pardon?" Jenny asked, looking at her.

"Agent Decker retired in '07, right?" Kelly said, looking at her friend and mentor.

"Yes…" Jenny said, slowly, as she went to look at the pictures. Looking at the dates on the pictures, she remembered back in Paris when they got codes hidden as dates on photos.

Kelly grabbed a pen and a small notepad out of her purse and as she handed them both to Jenny, her phone rang. "Hey, Tony. What's going on?" After a moment, Kelly sighed. "Tony, don't worry. Jenny and I are fine. We're just… handling some unfinished business. We're hanging out at this old diner."

While Jenny glared at the young woman, Franks couldn't help smiling. Kelly was as brazen as her father… and a hell of a better liar. When Kelly hung up, he said, "Let me guess… They're coming in, guns blazing."

"No, Tony and Ziva are… not coming," Kelly replied. Looking at Jenny, she asked, "And there better be a damn good reason why we're not having them come here."

"DiNozzo and Ziva don't need to know—" Jenny started before she was cut off by Kelly.

"But I do! You say Agent Decker was murdered and you're next. Dad could be in danger, too… You decide we have to stay out here in the middle of nowhere to finish this and instead of getting back up you want to fight a battle with three versus who knows how many!"

"You want to leave…" Franks said, looking at her. "You know where the door is. We'll figure out something."

"Jenny, you wanted me to come because you trust me," Kelly said, looking at her boss. "Sasha's dead. And she seemed like a nice kid… Oh, brother." Kelly couldn't help a wry chuckle. "'Kid'. She's 8 years younger than me!" (A/N: This is actually something that's hitting me lately. I'm 3 years away from being 30 and suddenly I'm calling anyone 20 or younger 'kid'.)

"If she's dead we have to assume she talked about where we are… and Decker's insurance policy," Franks added.

As Jenny gathered up the pictures and burned them, Kelly went to one of the booths by the window and pulled out her 9mm and .38 before checking her knife.

"Gibbs taught you well," Franks said as he sat opposite Kelly.

"When I was 17 Dad and I had a fight," Kelly said as she checked her gun clips. "I told Dad I was going to join the army. I even went to a local recruitment center… I was about to sign up, too."

"What stopped you?" Franks asked, curious.

"Dad's new partner at NCIS," Kelly replied, flicking her gaze over to Jenny. "She's the mother I never had," Kelly added in a whisper.

"Does she know?" Franks asked as Kelly started cleaning her guns.

"Doesn't matter," Kelly replied. "She's the Director… and I'm just a Probie."

"Bullshit," Franks grumbled. When Kelly looked at him, he went on. "You've been training to be an agent since you were 10 years old. Why the hell aren't you a Senior Agent yet?"

Kelly looked away and before she could reply, Jenny said, "Because that's not where she belongs."

"Let me guess," Franks laughed, looking at Jenny. "You want her to be your successor." Shaking his head, Franks said, "You don't know the kid at all." Looking at Kelly, he went on. "She's an agent… just like her old man." Glancing back at Jenny, he added, "And you know Jethro'd never be comfortable in your position."

Jenny sighed as she considered that. Maybe she was trying too hard to turn Kelly into something she wasn't…

-------------

"Gibbs is going to kill us," Tony said as he stood on the pier with Ziva. Catching her look, he shrugged, "Okay, he'll kill _me_. We lost the Director, Kelly…"

"So why is Gibbs only going to kill you?" Ziva asked as she got in the car along with Tony.

"You didn't get Kelly knocked up," Tony replied. "Okay, we can't call Gibbs. Plan B." Pulling out his cell phone he called McGee back at NCIS and when the other agent picked up, Tony said, "Hey, McGee I need you to run a trace on a cell phone."

"Whose?" McGee asked and Tony heard the other agent logging onto the computer.

"Kelly's," Tony replied, looking at Ziva.

After a few moments, McGee replied, "She's not in the LA area but her last call came from someplace about 30 miles into the Mojave Desert."

"Check the Director's cell," Ziva said loudly so as to be heard on the phone.

"Checking…" McGee said although his tone made it clear he did not want to be running checks on the director's cell phone. "Same area as Kelly's phone."

"Can you get me an exact location?" Tony asked, hopefully.

"I can work on that," McGee replied before hanging up.

Looking at Ziva, Tony said, "I'm filling the tank first."

"Afraid we'll get lost, Tony?" Ziva asked as they headed down the street.

Tony didn't reply but the thought in the back of his mind was _'I'm afraid we won't find the Director and Kelly in time.'_

----------

Once her guns were cleaned and her knife was sharpened, Kelly paced next to the booths, watching the road… listening for the sounds of a car on gravel…

"When I asked if Jenny knew…" Franks said as he went up to Kelly. "I didn't mean—"

"I know what you meant," Kelly said, quietly, looking outside. "And yes… she knows."

"Your father?"

Kelly shook her head. "Haven't told him yet."

"Why the hell not?" Franks asked, surprised. "He's your father."

"It's… complicated," Kelly said, sitting down. "The father of my baby… is someone I work with."

"Ah, shit," Franks grumbled. "Didn't your father teach you anything? Never date a co-worker," he said as Kelly recited the rule along with him.

"I know," Kelly added. "Tony… and I… He's been like a big brother for years. This year, though…"

"The two of you happy?" Franks asked, watching her. When Kelly nodded, he sighed. "Hell…"

"Yeah," Kelly sighed, sitting on the top of one of the booths, her feet on the table. "Hell…" Looking at Jenny, then Franks, she said, "Always figured I'd… find some guy… get married… have a couple kids…" With a wry smile she went on. "But with Leroy Jethro Gibbs as your father… Never dated a boy more than twice in high school. College was worse… I got tired of every guy on campus avoiding me. That's when I started doing online college courses. But Tony… he's not afraid of Dad."

"There's still time for you to get out of here," Franks insisted. "Take the car. Jenny and I can figure something." Leaning in, he said, "Think of that life you're carrying… You want your father to lose his only daughter… _and_ his grandchild?"

"No…" Kelly said quietly, putting a hand to her abdomen. "But I also want to be able to introduce my son or daughter to their honorary grandmother."

Franks couldn't help laughing. "You really did grow up to be like Jethro, didn't you?"

"Nothing wrong with that," Kelly said with a smile. Looking out the window, she kept an eye out for anyone coming while Franks headed out to get some water from the tank out back. Seeing someone coming, Kelly got up quickly. "Jenny."

Jenny jumped up as well, drawing her weapon as they headed behind the counter, staying low. "Go…" Jenny said, looking at Kelly. "Out the back."

"No," Kelly insisted, pulling her 9mm. When the doors burst open, Kelly rose and fired off three rounds, hitting one of the men before she dropped down and moved to the side, popping up and firing another round before dropping again.

As Jenny fired and dodged, she couldn't help but admire how skilled Kelly was as she helped take down the men. But just as she was about to comment, Kelly let out a cry as she took a bullet in the right thigh before taking two more shots in the left shoulder and a grazing shot to the left hip.

As she lay on the ground, Kelly had only a fleeting glimpse of Jenny taking a stance and firing at the last shooter before she jerked backwards as she was hit in the shoulder and side by one of the downed gunmen.

-------------------

As they pulled up to the diner, Ziva felt uneasy as she got out along with Tony and they headed towards the diner. Seeing the signs of gunfire, Ziva drew her weapon and she and Tony carefully went in, surveying the scene as they cleared the room.

"Oh, God…" Tony said as he fell to his knees next to one of the bodies.

When Ziva came over, she stifled a gasp as she saw Jenny and Kelly lying on the ground. Kneeling down, Ziva found no pulse on Jenny but there was a faint flutter of a pulse on Kelly. "Call an ambulance," Ziva ordered, assessing Kelly's injuries and stopping when she saw that there was an old towel wrapped around Kelly's upper leg.

"Mmmm…"

"Kelly?" Ziva said as the younger woman groaned lightly. But before Ziva could say anything else, Kelly lost consciousness again. Pressing a hand to Kelly's bleeding shoulder, Ziva looked at Tony who was staring at the Director's ringing phone which he'd picked up. "Tony!"

"It's Gibbs," Tony said, looking down at the Director before looking at Kelly and Ziva.

---------------------------------------------------

_It had been 18 years… and Kelly could vividly remember the day her mother was killed._

_Coming back from the local library, Kelly sat in the back seat while her mother and a federal marshal were up front._

_At first, Kelly couldn't understand why there was blood spattered on her favorite pink dress. And why was the marshal weaving all over the road? "Mommy!" Kelly screamed as the van veered off the road and crashed._

_When Kelly came to, there were men pulling her out of the van, putting something around her neck. She cried when one of the paramedics jostled her right leg and once she was lying down, they splinted her leg. "Mommy!" Kelly cried._

"_You're okay, honey," One of the paramedics said, putting some kind of breathing mask on her._

"_Where's my mommy?" Kelly repeated, her leg hurting more and more. "I want my daddy!"_

"_Where is your daddy, sweetheart?" someone asked._

"_He's… a Marine…" Kelly said, starting to fade out. "He's in…" But Kelly passed out before she could finish._

----------------

"Kelly… Kelly…"

Her father's voice… faint, but there… His hand holding hers…

"Daddy…" Kelly whispered as she slowly opened her eyes and saw her father sitting next to her hospital bed. "Jenny? Did she make it?"

"No…" Gibbs said, wanting to cry more than anything. "No, she… she didn't…"

Kelly tried to sit up but pain lanced through her leg and shoulder and she couldn't help the tears that came. "I tried, Daddy! I tried!"

"It's okay," Gibbs said, trying to hold himself together as he gently held his daughter "It's okay, Snipe."

"I shouldn't have been there," Kelly went on. "But it was Jenny… I wanted to help her… I tried, Daddy. I did… I tried to save her."

"I'm just glad I didn't lose you, too," Gibbs said, squeezing his daughter's hand. Looking at Kelly, he asked, "Either of you," Seeing Kelly's surprised look, Gibbs frowned. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was scared," Kelly replied. "And… I thought you'd kill Tony."

"I'm not going to kill him," Gibbs promised. "But he's putting a ring on your finger as soon as you get back to DC."

"Agent Franks was there, too, Dad," Kelly added. "Saved me…" Looking away, she said, "But Jenny was already gone."

"I'll be back later, Snipe," Gibbs promised as he stood. Leaving the room, he saw Mike Franks coming down the hall. After a moment, he said, "Thank you."

"Don't thank me," Franks replied, shaking his head. "Soon as I saw the kid I knew."

"So why did you drag her along?" Gibbs said, trying to be calm.

Franks grabbed Gibbs arm and didn't let go until they were outside. "I didn't drag her anywhere, Probie," Franks snapped, lighting a cigarette. "She came along. Jenny tried to talk her out of it. _I_ tried to talk her out of it. But that little girl of yours is too damn stubborn and she wouldn't go!"

"So why didn't you _make_ her leave?" Gibbs said, angrily. "You should've left Kelly back in LA!"

"Because just like you, Probie," Franks said, taking a drag on his cigarette. "You can't tell that damn kid _anything_! If you're gonna be mad at me because I couldn't save Jenny, that's fine. But don't you dare get all pissed off because of Kelly being there too. She made her choice."

"Did Kelly tell you she's pregnant?" Gibbs asked, not ready to let go of his anger.

"Yeah," Franks replied. "Told me the father is one of your agents. Guess neither of you remembered that rule about not dating a coworker."

Gibbs couldn't contain himself. Balling up a fist, he took a swing at Franks who didn't even bother ducking.

Franks wiped the blood from his split lip and sighed. "Feel better, Probie?"

"She was the one, Mike," Gibbs said, the weight of everything that had happened pressing down on him. "Jenny… I loved her… And I never…" Sitting down on one of the benches nearby, Gibbs sighed. "I can't do it anymore, Mike. I'm done."

"Like Hell you are," Franks said, throwing his cigarette away. "I don't care how many times you need to hit me or what you have to do. But you're gonna find out who's behind this and you're going to end this once and for all."

"What does it matter?" Gibbs protested. "Jenny's dead and so are the people who killed her."

"And whoever sent _them_?" Franks said, looking at Gibbs. "Jenny died trying to finish this because she wanted to protect you. It's not over yet, Probie." Seeing that Gibbs wasn't moving, Franks grumbled under his breath and went back into the hospital to find Kelly.

"Are you really just going to sit there, Jethro?" Jenny asked as she sat down next to Gibbs. "Or are you going to do what you need to do?"

Gibbs didn't want to look at the ghostly image of Jenny but he didn't say anything as he bowed his head. He wasn't sure what to do now but he knew that he first had to finish this. Standing, Gibbs took a deep breath before he finally walked back into the hospital and to Kelly's room.

"So you staying or leaving, Probie?" Franks asked, fixing Gibbs with a look.

"What do you think?" Gibbs asked.

"I think I need to make a quiet exit before your bosses figure out I'm here," Franks reply. Excusing himself, Franks headed out of the room, closing the door behind him.

"I should have told you, Dad," Kelly said, sitting up a bit, ignoring the pain in her leg and shoulder.

"About Jenny or being pregnant?" Gibbs asked, unable to keep the touch of ice from his voice.

"Both," Kelly admitted. After getting the full weight of her father's stare for a minute or two, Kelly sighed. "Jenny didn't want you involved. She was trying to protect you."

"And you?" Gibbs asked. Taking a moment to regain his composure, Gibbs sighed again. "You should have told me about you and DiNozzo."

"And said what?" Kelly asked. "That the very thing you've always been afraid of happened? I fell in love with one of your agents and he got me pregnant? I started having a life?"

Gibbs sighed once more. "I didn't…" Taking a moment, he said, "I was wrong."

"Wrong about what?" Kelly asked, confused.

Gibbs sat down on the edge of the bed and after a lengthy pause, he said, "I was afraid of you growing up. I didn't…"

"You didn't want to lose me," Kelly replied, knowingly. "Not after Mom. I know, Dad."

"It's not just that," Gibbs went on. "I never wanted you to settle for someone unless you loved him as much as I loved Shannon."

"I do love Tony," Kelly insisted. "He's sweet… funny… and he's not afraid of you."

"He's not?" Gibbs asked, a slight amused note to this tone.

"No," Kelly replied. "He's not. Tony knows that you're a good guy and even when you smack him on the head for kissing me, Tony knows it's because you're worried about me." After a moment, she went on. "I know you think you did everything wrong with me, Dad. Bringing me to NCIS, not giving me more freedom when I date… But you were just being you. And I wouldn't want you to be anyone else." Smiling, she said, "I love you, Dad."

Kissing his daughter's forehead, Gibbs said, "I love you, Kelly."

-------------

Visiting hours had been over for a while, but Kelly was hardly surprised when Tony slipped into her room.

"How are you?" Tony asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Been better," Kelly replied as she sat up, hoping Tony couldn't tell she'd been crying before he came into the room. "How'd you get in here?"

"Told the nurse I was your fiancé," Tony replied. Seeing Kelly's look, he pulled a ring out of his pocket. "I'm sorry, Kelly. I wanted this to be…"

Kelly put a hand on Tony's and smiled. "I don't care, Tony. I love you."

Taking Kelly's hand, Tony slid the engagement ring on her finger. "I love you, Kelly."

Holding Tony's hand, Kelly said, "I just can't believe Jenny's gone." Finally letting her tears show, Kelly squeezed Tony's hand, smiling sadly when he squeezed back.

"I know," Tony said, softly. "But we'll get through this.'

"I don't want to get through this," Kelly sniffled. "Sometimes I can't really remember Mom anymore. And then I think of Jenny… She was like a mother without even trying." Crying, she said, "Mom… Kate… When's it going to stop?"

"You mean loss?" Tony asked. When Kelly nodded, Tony shook his head. "I don't know. I don't think it ever does."

"I don't want to lose you, too," Kelly said, wiping her tears. "You and Dad…. I don't think I could take it."

"You're not going to lose me or Gibbs," Tony promised.

"You don't know that," Kelly said, looking out the window at the darkening sky.

"I know that when we get home," Tony replied. "—nothing is going to keep me from marrying you." When Kelly looked at him, he added, "And nothing is going to stop me from being a father to my child."

"You're terrible with kids," Kelly cried.

"I'll work on it," Tony promised. "And I'm going to do everything in my power to give you and our baby everything either of you could want."

Leaning forward, Kelly hugged Tony and cried on his shoulder for a few minutes until one of the nurses came in. "Sorry, Miss Gibbs."

Pulling away and standing up, Tony said, "I'll be back in the morning."

"Okay," Kelly said, sniffling. When Tony was gone, Kelly lay back in bed and closed her eyes, and after almost an hour, she finally fell into a fitful sleep.

----------------------------

It was one of the most beautiful days in Kelly's memory. The Virginia sky was a crystal blue as Kelly stood with her father and the rest of the team in the small cemetery outside of Arlington. Leaning on a cane, her left arm still in a sling, Kelly looked at the coffin that was resting next to the open grave. As the team lay roses on Jenny's coffin, Kelly lay down a bouquet of orchids and three roses in red, white, and blue. Limping over to the first row of chairs that were set up nearby, Kelly sat down and thought back to when she was 17.

_It had been the senior prom and Kelly had even managed to find a date and a kick-ass dress. But as usual, Gibbs had been adamant about her not going. "No daughter of mine is going out dressed like some sort of… debutante!" Gibbs had shouted._

"_Well, maybe I won't even finish high school!" Kelly shouted, angrily. "Maybe I'll just run away and join the Army!" Grabbing her father's car keys as she stormed out of the house, Kelly got in the old pick-up truck and drove away, finally stopping outside the Army recruitment center. Getting out of the truck, Kelly walked inside, looking around._

"_Can I help you, miss?" asked the man sitting at the desk._

_When Kelly turned to him, she saw the insignia on his uniform identifying him as a Private First Class. "I was… just looking," she said, hesitantly._

"_Plenty of opportunities for women in the military," PFC Murray replied as he stood and came around the desk. "Top notch training in hand to hand combat, firearms…"_

"_I know all that, PFC Murray," Kelly said with a smile. "My father's a Marine."_

"_With all due respect, Miss—"_

"_Gibbs," Kelly said, holding out a hand. "Kelly Gibbs."_

_Murray was a little taken aback as he shook Kelly's hand. "I've heard of your father, Miss Gibbs. And if he's a Marine… why would you want to join the army?"_

"_Well, I look better in green, for one," Kelly replied, flippantly. "I don't know. I just… I don't want to be like my father. I want to do something different. I want to see what I'm made of."_

"_The Army is a good place to do that, Miss Gibbs," Murray said, getting into his pitch. "And since you already have the basics… I'm sure you'll rise in the ranks." Holding out a form and a pen, Kelly had just started filling out her information when she heard a familiar voice behind her._

"_You do that and you'll break your father's heart," Jenny Shepard said as she entered the room._

"_So?" Kelly said, turning to look at her. "It's not like Dad ever really lets me do what I want."_

"_He cares about you, Kelly," Jenny insisted. "And you don't really want to do this, do you?"_

"_I just… I want Dad to understand that I need to have my own life!" Kelly said, exasperated. _

Back then, all Kelly had wanted was to have a life. Now… On her left, Tony sat with his arm around her while Gibbs sat on Kelly's right side, holding her hand.

As the minister spoke, Kelly tried not to cry again. She wanted to remember the good… not the bad.

After some of Jenny colleagues spoke, Ziva got up and stood before the crowd, looking like she was also trying not to cry. "I have not had many friends in my life," Ziva said after taking a few moments to compose herself. "But Jenny was my friend. She had strength, compassion… she could share her life with others and she made it easy for others to confide in her. She will be deeply missed and I know that we will feel this loss acutely."

As Ziva sat down, Abby stood, holding her tape player in one hand and her black parasol in the other. Once she was in front of the crowd, she said, "I'm from New Orleans and typically we play jazz coming from a funeral, but I didn't think that was really right for Director Shepard. So last night, I went through some of her music and I found this song and… In respect for Director Shepard…" Hitting the 'play' button, Abby set the tape player on Jenny's coffin and took a step back.

'_Of all the money that 'ere I've spent_

_I've spent it in good company_

_And of all the harm that 'ere I've done_

_Alas, it was to none but me'_

Sitting between his daughter and his future son-in-law, Gibbs could understand why Jenny liked this song. It spoke of life and regret… and the loss of a cherished life.

'_Of all the friends that 'ere I've had_

_They are sorry at my going away_

_And of sweethearts that 'ere I've had_

_They would bid me one more day to stay'_

If he had just one more day with Jenny, Gibbs knew he would hold her and never let her go. He tell her all the 'I love you's' that he'd been holding onto and he'd cherish every moment he and Jenny had spent together.

'_But since it falls unto my lot_

_That I should rise and you should not_

_I gently rise and softly call_

_Good night and joy be to you all'_

Thinking of Jenny, Gibbs knew why she'd acted as she had. She'd wanted to protect him. Because though she'd tried to deny it, to Jenny, there was no one more important than Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

'_Fill to me the parting glass_

_And drink to health what'ere befalls_

_Gently rise and softly call_

_Good night and joy be to you all'_

-------------------

Getting back to NCIS, Kelly went up to the director's office and after a moment, Leon Vance let her in.

"I was just about to call you… Agent Gibbs," Vance said as he sat down in the director's chair. "As of tomorrow, you will officially be an NCIS Special Agent."

"You may want to hold off on that, sir," Kelly said, strengthening her resolve. "I… I am removing myself from field duty."

"How come?" Vance asked, curiously.

"Pregnancy," Kelly replied. "Agent DiNozzo and I have been dating for the past 8 months and we're now engaged. We're planning to go to the courthouse next week and make the marriage official."

"Might want to move up that date," Vance said, coolly as the door to the office opened and Gibbs came in along with McGee, Tony, and Ziva. "Officer David." When Ziva looked at him, Vance said, "The liason position with NCIS is being terminated. You're going home." While Ziva looked surprised, Gibbs looked like he'd just been blindsided. An expression which intensified as Vance went on. "Agent McGee, I'm moving you across to the Cyber Crimes Unit. You'll be working with Officer Holsworth starting tomorrow."

Gibbs expression changed from that of being blindsided to a quiet anger as Tony was reassigned as an Agent Afloat.

When Vance turned to Kelly, Gibbs was prepared to offer his resignation right then and there but stopped when Vance said, "Agent Kelly Gibbs… in light of your current condition, you're being promoted. Team leader." Looking at Gibbs, Vance said, "Agent Jethro Gibbs… Kelly will be your superior. You'll report directly to her. Is that understood?"

Gibbs was dumbfounded and although many responses ran though his mind—most of them involving a sniper rifle—he said, "Yes, sir, Director." Looking at Kelly, he said, "Agent Gibbs."

Kelly just nodded and tried to breathe. What the hell had she just gotten into?


	14. Scenes From Season 6

AUTHOR'S NOTES: There were really only one or two things I wanted to pull from the first three episodes of season six before I had Kelly give birth.

But next chapter will be one I'd planned to do from the beginning: the episode 'Heartland'.

* * *

_**Scenes From Season 6**_

The new team sucked.

As much as Kelly tried to like Agents Langer, Keating, and Lee they just weren't the finely tuned engine that Tony, Tim, and Ziva had been.

Lee wouldn't carry a gun willingly and half the time Abby was having to discard Lee's prints on evidence.

Keating didn't drive and he was always obsessive-compulsive about following procedure.

And Langer…

Kelly sighed as she walked into NCIS wearing the last pair of fitting pants she currently had in her closet. If Langer called her 'Ma'am' one more time…

"Morning, Mom."

Kelly stopped and looked at one of the security agents, Thomas Hart, a smile on her face. "Thanks, Tom."

"Have you told your dad it's twins?" Tom asked as Kelly went through the metal detector.

"Not yet," Kelly grumbled as the babies started kicking. "See you later."

Up in the squad room, Kelly saw Langer open his mouth but before he could say 'good morning' Kelly said, "The first person who calls me 'ma'am' this morning is going to get their ears ripped off and shoved up their nose." Making her way to her chair, Kelly sighed with relief as she sat down.

"M—Agent Gibbs?"

Looking at Langer, Kelly sighed. "What?" she snapped.

"It looks like we have a case," Langer said, tentatively.

Seeing her father come in, Kelly said, "Then go. Investigate."

"Yes, Ma'am," Gibbs said with a smirk.

Kelly looked up and again sighed. "I don't have the energy. You can keep your ears."

"What?" Gibbs asked, confused as he grabbed his gear.

"Don't ask," Lee said, grabbing her stuff and heading for the elevator.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

_USS Seahawk_

"Agent DiNozzo!"

Standing on the deck of the ship, Tony turned when he heard someone call his name. "Yeah."

"Call coming in for you in the com room," One of the lieutenants said, walking up. "NCIS headquarters."

Tony ran to the com room and sat down at one of the stations before putting on his headset and patching through to NCIS. Not bothering to hide his smile when he saw McGee, Tony said, "McGoo. It's true. TV really does add 10 pounds. You been hitting the jelly doughnuts again?" After a pause, he asked in a more serious tone, "How's my bride to be?"

"She can't wait till you're home," McGee said, casually.

"Tell Kelly I miss her, too. It gets lonely on this old ship," Tony replied. Putting on his pirate voice, he said, "Ahhh, life on the ocean blue, me hearties. Where love of dry land is passed only by the love of a good woman. And tell me this me little McShipmate, how is that scurrilous blackhearted pirate king of ours, Captain One-shot Gibbs?"

"I'm just fine, DiNozzo," Gibbs said as he came into view. "And Kelly just said she can't wait till you're home."

"She doesn't miss me?" Tony asked, his heart sinking a bit.

"She's… a little emotional right now," McGee replied, trying to reassure his friend.

"How's my future son or daughter?" Tony asked, wondering how Kelly was doing.

"Your _daughters_ are fine, DiNozzo," Gibbs replied. When Tony's jaw dropped he added, "Kelly's having twins." After a moment, Gibbs went on. "Got work to do."

"I'm on it, boss," Tony replied, eagerly. "What am I on?"

"Are you alone?" McGee asked.

Tony sorely missed being back in DC at that moment. Because then he could smack McGee on the back of the head. "Oh, yeah!" Tony said, his voice practically dripping with sarcasm. "It's just me and 5,000 of my closest friends. I am _never_ alone!" Leaning closer to the screen and whispering, he added, "I really need to come home, boss."

"I'm working on it," Gibbs replied, and Tony sighed as he started entering the information McGee gave him.

After downloading and sending the file to McGee, Tony said, "Has Kelly come up with names for the twins yet?"

"Caitlin Cassidy and Jennifer Shannon," Gibbs replied. "And Tony?"

"Yes, boss?" Tony said, hesitantly.

"I don't care if I have to come over there and bring you back myself," Gibbs promised. "But I promise you aren't going to miss the births of your daughters."

"Thanks, boss," Tony replied as he signed off. Leaning back in his chair, Tony thought about the names Kelly had picked. Looking upward, Tony prayed to God and any other higher power who was listening. "Don't let me screw this up," Tony muttered as he stood and left the com room.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

_2 Months Later_

"Go home," Gibbs said when he saw Kelly sitting at her desk, her feet up and a pair of worn sweats stretched over her swollen belly.

"Too tired," Kelly protested as Ziva and Tony came in as went to their desks.

"You alright, boss?" McGee asked, looking at Kelly before looking at Gibbs. "Uh, I mean…"

"I'm fine," Kelly said as she slowly stood. "Don't you guys have a case?"

"It can wait," Gibbs insisted as he walked with Kelly to the elevators. "You gonna go home?"

"No, I'm going down to Autopsy," Kelly replied. "It's cooler down there."

"Hey," Gibbs said as his daughter stepped into the elevator. "Call me if you need anything."

"Just bring back peach ice cream," Kelly replied as she hit the button to go to the lower level. Entering Autopsy, Kelly went to sit down when she saw Palmer working at Ducky's desk. "Jimmy."

"Oh! Agent Gibbs," Palmer said, standing and offering the chair as Kelly made her way over. "Are you okay?"

Kelly's look was one of sarcasm and disbelief. "Peachy… Palmer. Just feeling a little bloated right now."

"Oh, well, yeah, I mean… I know… being pregnant and all is…"

"Where's Ducky?" Kelly asked, suddenly.

"He left a few minutes ago," Palmer replied, noticing the panicked look on Kelly's face. "What's wrong?"

"I think my water just broke," Kelly said, crying out as she felt a contraction.

"Oh, boy…. Oh… Uh…" Palmer looked around and said, "Uh… Here…" Helping Kelly up and over to one of the autopsy tables, he got her lying down before saying, "Uh… What do I--?"

"Call a bloody ambulance!" Kelly screamed as she felt another contraction.

"Mr. Palmer, how could you forget to—?" But as he reentered the room, Ducky stopped as he saw Kelly. "What happened?"

"_What do you think_?!" Kelly screamed.

"How far along are you?" Ducky asked, donning a lab coat, mask, and gloves.

"36 weeks," Kelly replied as Palmer folded up his own lab coat and placed it under Kelly's head as a pillow.

"Well, if you don't mind I'd like to see how far along you are," Ducky replied, looking at Kelly. When she nodded, Ducky looked and sighed. "I hate to say it, but we may have to deliver right here."

"Ducky, there's no way in HELL I'm having my kids be born in Autopsy!" Kelly shouted.

"I'm afraid we may have little choice," Ducky replied. "Mr. Palmer, did you summon an ambulance?"

"Uh, no," Palmer replied, nervously. "I-I was—"

"Why the bloody hell not, Mr. Palmer?! Ducky said, exasperated. When Kelly screamed again, Ducky checked and looked at Kelly. "I'm sorry, my dear, but it looks like we are going to have to deliver right here."

"Jimmy…" Kelly panted as she felt her contractions getting stronger. "Call Dad… And Tony…"

On the phone with 911, Jimmy nodded.

"And find Abby," Ducky added. Seeing Kelly's look, he explained. "Last weekend, Abby helped her cousin deliver her baby. She'd be an asset at the moment."

Kelly nodded, trying to breathe through the pain but really… she wanted to kill Tony for doing this to her.

----------------

Tony, McGee, Ziva, and Gibbs had only just arrived at Rock Creek Park when Gibbs' cell phone rang. "Yeah. Gibbs."

"Kelly has gone into labor," Ducky reported on the other end of the line.

In the background, Gibbs could hear his daughter's pained cries and Abby talking. "Got it, Duck. We'll meet you at the hospital."

"She's delivering now, Jethro!" Ducky said, urgently.

"In Autopsy?!" Gibbs said, alarmed.

"I'm afraid so, Jethro," Ducky replied. "But the babies are fine, from what I can tell."

Gibbs started to ask how Kelly was doing but hearing a sound in the background he called DiNozzo over and put his phone on speaker.

Tony was about to ask what was going on but he stopped when he heard crying and Abby's voice saying, "Someone wants to say hello, Tony."

Tony couldn't help grinning like an idiot and turned to McGee and Ziva. "Ziva, Probie… Secure the scene and get the body back to NCIS," he said before running to the car with Gibbs.

-------------

Holding Caitlin in her arms, Kelly wanted to cry as she smiled at her new baby.

"The ambulance just got in," Palmer reported as he came over to the table where Kelly was.

"Excellent, Mr. Palmer," Ducky replied. "Why don't you go and meet them?" Going to Kelly, he asked, "How is the little one?"

"Beautiful," Kelly replied, noticing that Caitlin had a small birthmark just below her left ear.

"Well, at least only one of your children was born in Autopsy," Ducky replied. Tickling Caitlin under the chin, he said, "Hello, Caitlin. I expect your mother will tell you often… but you are named after two very special women. Both of whom would have loved to meet you." Looking at Kelly, he asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Better," Kelly replied as the paramedics came in.

-------------

While Gibbs went to check on Kelly at the hospital, Tony went to the nursery to look at baby Caitlin. Leaning on the bassinet, he smiled. "Hi, Kate." When the infant stirred, Tony stroked her cheek. "I'm your Dad. Sorry I was late. But it wasn't because I wanted to be. I wanted to be with you and your Mommy." After a few moments, he went on. "You're named after two special people, kiddo: NCIS Special Agent Caitlin Todd and NCIS Agent Paula Cassidy. Kate was… the closest thing I've ever had to a friend… Other than your Mom, of course. And Paula…" Sighing, Tony thought back almost two years ago when… "Paula sacrificed herself to save your Mom and me," he said, quietly. "Neither of us would be here if it wasn't for her."

"Agent DiNozzo?"

Looking up, Tony saw one of the nurses coming into the nursery. "How's Kelly?"

"In labor," the nurse replied, making Tony run out the door after giving his daughter a good-bye kiss.

In Kelly's room, Gibbs was holding her hand while she screamed. Looking up to see Tony, she said, "Get your ass over here, DiNozzo!"

"Yeah, uh…" Tony went to Kelly's side and about screamed himself when she squeezed his hand as hard as she could.

While the doctor kept talking to Kelly, Tony felt wave after wave of fear hit him. He wasn't ready for this. One kid would be hard enough, but two? And after he and Kelly got married—Kelly had refused to wear a wedding dress while she was pregnant—they'd have to buy a bigger apartment and what about their…?

But those thoughts seemed to fade away when Tony heard his second daughter's cries. Smiling, he looked over at Gibbs who gave a knowing nod before leaning over and kissing Kelly on the forehead. Looking at his second baby girl, Tony grinned. Sure it'd be tough with two kids… but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle… right?


	15. Heartland

AUTHOR'S NOTES: This was one of those chapters I knew I had to do when I started this story. My only problem was how to change Gibbs and Kelly once they were in Stillwater.

Not quite sure which episode is coming up next. Suggestions are welcome. (And not just from the 6th season. I don't mind backtracking.)

Chapter 12

* * *

_**Heartland**_

Tony had given up on sleep around 3am.

At first, Kelly had insisted on getting up with the babies, but after the 6th time, Tony told her to try and get some sleep.

That had been at one in the morning.

Rocking Jenny, Tony couldn't help but smile as the 2-month-old redhead continued crying. "You're gonna be as difficult as your Grandma Jenny, aren't you?" he said, as he tried Ziva's suggestion and started singing softly. "Luck be a lady tonight. Luck be a lady tonight. Luck, if you've ever been a lady to begin with…" But Jenny just started crying louder. "Everyone's a critic." Going to his CD collection, Tony looked through the options, reading the artists aloud. "So what do you like? Frank Sinatra, Bryan Adams, Billy Joel, Chicago…" Jenny wailed and Tony went to Kelly's CDs. "How about country music? Brad Paisley, Alan Jackson… Hank Williams?" Grabbing a CD randomly, Tony put it into the stereo and hit play, letting the jubilant sounds of Carrie Underwood filled the room.

Jenny stopped fussing and seemed to actually smile as Tony rocked her back to sleep.

Laying Jenny down in her crib, Tony started to sneak out of the room but stopped when Kate started crying. Suppressing a sigh, Tony picked up Kate and started slowly walking around the room.

----------

Tony was almost relieved when Gibbs called early the next morning, saying they had a case. After a quick shower and change of clothes, Tony raced out the door after kissing Kelly and the girls good-bye and headed for the crime scene after picking up a large coffee with extra sugar and two shots of espresso.

At the back of a nightclub, Tony found the others taking pictures and gathering evidence. "What do we got?" Tony asked, yawning.

"Late night, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked with a smile as he snapped a few more photos. In a strange way he almost missed the sleepless nights... the sounds of a baby crying...

"Be grateful Kelly wasn't a twin," Tony replied as he took a long drink from his coffee cup. "I can't wait till Kate and Jenny start sleeping at the same time."

"It'll get better, DiNozzo," Gibbs said, still smiling. "Just wait till they're teenagers."

"Have you tried singing?" Ziva asked, looking at her partner.

"Yeah," Tony said, irritably. "Didn't work. Apparently the girls like your voice better."

"I will make you a tape, Tony," Ziva promised.

"How is parenthood treating you, Anthony?" Ducky asked as he joined the group.

"No sleep, no time, and I've had more coffee in the past month than I've had in years," Tony replied.

"Oh, so you want to quit already, DiNozzo?" Gibbs said, giving his senior agent a look.

"No," Tony insisted. "It's just… hard."

Gibbs' look softened and he put a hand on Tony's shoulder. "I know, Tony... I know."

"Cheer up, my boy," Ducky said, brightly. "As they say, 'This, too, shall pass'."

-------

Bringing the case evidence down to Abby, Tony was surprised to see a fresh cup of coffee waiting for him. "I really love you right now, Abby," Tony said, taking a drink and stopping when he realized there wasn't any sugar in the coffee.

"That was for Gibbs," Abby said, irritably as she glared at Tony.

"Come on, Abbs," Tony pleaded. "I haven't gotten a good night's sleep in months."

"What do you got for me?" Abby said as she grabbed the coffee cup from Tony and shoved her Caff-Pow into his hands before sifting through the evidence.

"Debris taken from the alley where Corporal Taylor was killed," McGee said, bringing in the evidence bin with the bagged personal effects from Taylor and the injured Marine, Ethan LaCombe. "This one is personal effects."

"There's a class ring," Abby said, pulling a bag out of the second bin. "There's blood on it. It's bent."

"It's from impact," McGee explained. "LaCombe got a few punches in."

"Might give us DNA," Abby mused.

"Might give us more than that," Tony said, catching a glimpse of the writing on the ring. "Stillwater High School," he said with a smile.

"Is that supposed to mean something to us?" McGee asked, confused.

"_Stillwater_ High School," Tony repeated. Seeing that McGee and Abby were still confused, he said, "In all the time the two of you spent staring at computer screens you never once peeked in the man's file?"

"Whose file?" Abby said, wondering if sleep deprivation was causing Tony to lose his mind.

Seeing that an explanation was warranted, Tony said, "Stillwater is a small town in Pennsylvania. Coal country. Primarily known for the mine. But only slightly less well known as the birthplace of one _Leroy Jethro Gibbs_." Seeing that Abby and McGee were catching on, Tony said, "This guy is from Gibbs' hometown."

----------------

At home, Kelly had just gotten the babies changed, fed, and down for a nap when the phone rang. Running to grab it before Kate and Jenny woke up, Kelly was relieved to hear Maddie's voice. "How's it going?" Maddie asked, brightly.

"Honestly, I can't understand how Mom did it," Kelly replied, flopping down onto the couch. "It's like just when I get a break, one of the girls wakes up."

"Let me know if you ever want me to babysit," Maddie said, brightly. When Kelly heard barking in the background, Maddie added, "Jethro misses you."

"I miss him, too," Kelly replied. "Hey… Thanks for calling. It's nice talking to a grownup again."

"Tony's not helping with the kids?" Maddie asked.

"No, he… he was up all night last night," Kelly replied. "He's been great."

"You okay, Kelly?"

Kelly sighed as she looked at the babies' room. "Do you think I'm going to be a good mom?"

"Yeah," Maddie said, quickly. "You're gonna be great."

-------------

"So many questions," Tony said aloud. "My mind is spinning with questions." Looking at Ziva and McGee, he said, "I mean, have you ever thought about it? He actually came from somewhere. He didn't just appear. He didn't just start Gibbs, he was a boy. And then he grew."

"I thought he was molded from clay," Ziva said with a smirk as she looked at McGee who was looking over her shoulder. "Had life breathed into him by a group of mystics."

"That's funny," McGee said with a smile. "I thought he fell to earth in a capsule after his home planet exploded."

Laughing, Ziva said, "No he burst forth, full grown, from the mind of Zeus."

"I'm trying to pose a serious metaphysical question," Tony said, annoyed that McGee and Ziva were mocking him. "If you want to be clever, I can be clever."

"Just a matter of time, DiNozzo," Gibbs said, coming in. While the team gave a report, Gibbs tried not to think about the next step in the case. But there was no way around it. Heading for the elevator, Gibbs said, "DiNozzo."

"On your six, boss," Tony said, eagerly.

"Follow up with the Taylor family and tell Kelly to pack up the kids," Gibbs said as he, McGee, and Ziva got into the elevator.

-------------

While Gibbs and Ziva drove in one car with Kate and Jenny, McGee and Kelly went in another car following them.

Happy for the respite, Kelly fell asleep before they left the area and didn't wake until they were a few miles outside of Stillwater.

"Thought you were going to sleep the entire trip," McGee said, smiling as Kelly stretched and rubbed her neck.

"That's the best sleep I've had in a while," Kelly said, sitting up.

"It's really that bad?" McGee asked, as he turned off the interstate and headed for a road to the left.

"No…" Kelly said with a yawn. "It's just… overwhelming. Until you have kids… it looks easy. Or you think… there's no way you can handle it." Looking over at McGee with a smile, she said, "But when I first held Caitlin… I'm terrified, Tim," Kelly said, looking out the window. "My mom died when I was 8."

Pulling the car off to the side of the road, McGee looked at Kelly. "You're scared something will happen to Kate and Jenny?"

"I'm scared something will happen to me," Kelly said, feeling tears in her eyes. "I just… I'm not ready for this, you know?"

"Hey…" McGee said, twisting in his seat so he was facing Kelly. "You're going to do great. You're gonna raise the girls to be strong, independent… You'll teach them how to shoot… Tony… will teach them all about movies." When Kelly let out a half-sob, half-laugh, McGee grinned as well. "And Ziva will teach them self-defense and Abby will show them the ins and outs of processing evidence."

Kelly laughed. "Yeah, and you'll show them how to hack school records to change their grades."

"And Gibbs will teach them all the rules before they're 16," McGee added. After a few moments, he said, "You've got nothing to be scared of, Kelly. Nothing's gonna happen to you or them."

"Thanks, Tim," Kelly said, hugging him. "Now come on. If we take Decker Road we still get into town before Dad and Ziva."

"How do you know that?" McGee asked as he turned back onto the street.

"Ahhh, Tim…" Kelly said with a smug, secretive smile. "Dad's not the only one with secrets in this town."

----------

Pulling up to the curb by the Stillwater General Store, Gibbs couldn't help a smile when he saw Kelly and McGee already there and waiting.

"Thought maybe the two of you got lost," Gibbs said as he pulled up to the curb and got out of the car before pulling Kate out of her car seat. On the other side of the car, Ziva got Jenny out, holding the squirming infant.

"Just took a detour," Kelly said with a smile.

"Uh-huh," Gibbs said, raising an eyebrow.

As Kelly got the twins settled in the stroller in the trunk of her car, she said, "You guys go talk to LaCombe's aunt. I'll go to the motel and get us rooms."

Gibbs raised both eyebrows but nodded. "You got it, boss." Seeing McGee and Ziva exchange looks, Gibbs shrugged. "You heard her."

-

Outside Janet LaCombe's house, Ziva tried finding a cell phone signal while Gibbs and McGee went to talk to Ethan's aunt. After walking around for a while, she heard a voice behind her.

"I'm afraid you're not going to have much luck," said an old man with gray hair. He had a friendly smile and leaned on a cane and when Ziva studied him she couldn't help but notice his eyes. "Occasionally when the wind is right you can get a signal."

"Thank you," Ziva said, closing her phone. What was it about this man's eyes that seemed so familiar? "Is there a public phone around here I could use?"

"There's one in my store," the man replied. "My name is Jackson."

Again, Ziva was struck by a strange sense of familiarity. "Ziva," she replied.

"Well, Ziva, it looks like you dropped something," Jackson said, looking at the ground. But when Ziva leaned down to retrieve the $20 bill, Jackson pinned it down with the end of the cane. "Uh-uh… Kinda tells a story, doesn't it?" Looking up, Ziva smiled as Jackson went on. "A $20 bill in your wallet is just a piece of paper. Put it on the ground and suddenly… it's full of wonder."

"Context can change a thing," Ziva concluded, knowingly.

"That it can," Jackson agreed, moving his cane and allowing Ziva to retrieve her treasure. When she stood up, Jackson added, "For instance… I'll bet back in… Israel… You were considered a pretty girl." Noticing the appreciative smile on Ziva's face—and the surprise that he'd guessed where she was from—Jackson went on. "You step one foot in my country and instantly you're an exotic beauty."

Giving Jackson a sly look and a smile, Ziva asked, "When did we start talking about people?" Who was it Jackson reminded her of?

"Well, if the 'I' in NCIS is to be believed," Jackson said, returning the smile. "You're observant enough to realize that all this is a pretext to engage for engaging a young woman in conversation."

Looking over Jackson's shoulder, Ziva smiled as she caught sight of Gibbs and McGee coming over. And as Gibbs said, "Word travels fast," Ziva finally realized who Jackson reminded her of.

"That it does," Jackson said, looking Gibbs over. "When people actually open their mouths and speak with one another. You don't call… you don't write. Were you going to come by and say 'hi'?"

Exchanging a look with McGee, Ziva knew that he was also curious about how the two knew each other.

"Hi… Jack…" Gibbs said, casually.

"Hi… Leroy," Jackson replied.

Seeing McGee and Ziva's looks, Gibbs knew he couldn't hold off a proper introduction any longer. "Ziva… McGee… Jackson Gibbs. My father."

Ziva's eyes widened as the familiarity made sense. As they headed back into town, they found Kelly standing outside the general store.

Jackson stopped as he studied Kelly who smiled before hugging her grandfather. "You look just like your father," Jackson said, hugging the young woman. "It's good to see you again, Kelly."

"It's good to see you, Grandpa," Kelly replied. Looking at her kids, she said, "Or should I say Great Grandpa?"

--

While Kelly went into the bathroom in the back to take care of Kate and Jenny, Ziva looked over some of the photos on the wall and McGee fired up his computer. Noticing one picture, Ziva looked over at Jackson. "Is this you with Kelly and Maddie?" She asked, pointing.

Jackson smiled as he stood. "Kelly stopped by one day out of the blue. She and her friend were on a road trip, needed supplies."

When Gibbs came into the store, he noticed the looks from McGee and Ziva.

Wanting to cover the uncomfortable silence, Ziva pointed at the rifle over the wall behind the counter and asked, "Is that the gun you learned to shoot with?"

"No one was ever allowed to touch that Winchester," Gibbs said, a touch annoyed.

"_You_ weren't allowed to touch it, Dad," Kelly said, coming out of the back with the twins.

Whirling around, Gibbs fixed his father with a sharp look. "You wouldn't let _me_ shoot it, but you let _Kelly_ shoot it?"

"What can I say?" Jackson said, smiling at Kelly and then Ziva. "I've always had a weakness for a pretty girl."

"When the Hell did you learn to shoot it?" Gibbs asked, eyes narrowed as he looked at Kelly.

"After graduating high school," Kelly replied, as Jackson picked up Kate and Ziva picked up Jenny.

"Anything else you want to surprise me with?" Gibbs asked, looking from his father to his daughter.

"I'm pregnant again," Kelly said, trying not to laugh when her father's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "Kidding," she assured him. "If Tony and I have any free moments, we try and grab a few minutes of sleep."

"So do I get to actually meet my grandson-in-law?" Jackson asked with a grin.

"Um…" Kelly said, hesitantly.

"It is not official as of yet," Ziva said, quickly.

Giving his granddaughter a look, Jackson said, "Well, what in tarnation are you waiting for?"

Looking at her father, McGee, and Ziva, Kelly said, "We've got a case to figure out."

"Well, at least I can help you with that," Jackson said, looking at Gibbs. "I had a few beers with Ethan LaCombe."

"Gee," Gibbs said, his voice practically dripping with sarcasm. "I'm shocked."

"Leroy could never see the benefit of keeping a six-pack on ice," Jackson said, a slight smile. "He was always in the garage, working on some project."

"It's a basement now," Kelly said, smiling. "And he does usually keep beer on hand."

"Well, we didn't even have electricity out there," Jackson added.

"Explains why Dad uses hand tools," Kelly threw in.

"One day he blew all his money on some wreck he found in the junkyard," Jackson went on, getting into telling the story. "He was gonna rebuild it from the spark plugs up. He never did get it running."

"And where do you keep her?" Gibbs asked, giving his father a look.

"Hey," Kelly said, getting impatient. "Ethan."

"Ethan, yeah," Jackson said, getting back on topic. "Good kid. Little reckless. Most people liked him. Except Winslow."

"_Chuck_ Winslow?" Gibbs asked, his gut telling him that his old 'friend' was a key figure in this case.

"Owns the Winslow Mining Company?" Ziva asked as she rocked Jenny who was starting to fuss.

"That's the one," Jackson confirmed. "Yeah, Ethan had kind of a thing for his daughter, Emily." Looking at Kelly, he added, "She's about your age."

"Well, then you and I can go talk to her," Kelly said, looking at Gibbs.

"No, you stay here with McGee and Ziva," Gibbs ordered.

But Kelly wasn't about to back down. "Who's team leader?"

McGee and Ziva exchanged looks as Gibbs stormed out of the store and started down the street towards his car. After handing Kate to Kelly grabbing a bottle of bourbon off a shelf, Jackson followed his son, Kelly bringing up the rear after passing off Kate to McGee.

"Did Kelly just leave us in charge of her kids?" McGee asked, looking at Ziva who put both babies in the stroller.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Ziva asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You call Abby and I'll call Tony?" McGee said, bringing up the internet video link on his computer. When he managed to bring the two up, Ziva leaned close to McGee as the two said in unison, "Gibbs has a father!"

On the screen, Abby and Tony leaned in close as they said, "Tell me everything!"

"His name is Jackson," McGee said, quickly. "He's a good talker. He may have winked at me."

"Gibbs is definitely different around him," Ziva added. "And Kelly seems to have…"

"She's acting like Gibbs used to," McGee finished.

"Okay, I'm coming," Tony said, quickly, looking at Abby. "I'm going. I'm leaving."

"Me, too," Abby said, running off screen.

"No, you can't," McGee said, loudly. "Not unless you found a way the people in town might have thought Ethan LaCombe was _alive_."

When Abby came back on screen, she looked puzzled. "They thought he was dead?"

-------

Pulling up to the Winslow residence, Kelly got out first and looked over the house. Gibbs got out second along with Jackson and the three walked up the porch steps, Kelly ringing the doorbell.

When the door opened, Jackson smiled at the young man who stood in the doorway. "How're you doing, Nick?"

"Hi, Jack," Nick Kingston said, smiling, as he let them in.

"Nick, this is my son, Leroy," Jackson said, pointing to Gibbs. "Old friend of your father-in-law's. And his daughter, Kelly."

"Did I hear someone say 'Leroy'?" said a man in the dining room. "Stop the presses! We've got a new headline: 'Local Boy Makes Good'."

As Chuck Winslow came to great his guests, Kelly leaned closer to her father and whispered, "Now I know why you like to be called 'Jethro', Dad."

Despite the fact that Gibbs was in a place he'd never wanted to see again, he couldn't help but smiling. And somehow having Kelly with him made the sight of Chuck Winslow's smug face more bearable.

"And who is this charming young woman?" Chuck asked, looking at Kelly.

"Kelly Gibbs," Kelly said, holding out a hand which Chuck shook. As Kelly smiled warmly, she squeezed Chuck's hand, secretly happy when he looked a bit pained.

Pulling his hand from Kelly's, Chuck nodded. "Nice grip ya got there."

"Thank you," Kelly said as she gave her father a sideways look. As they sat down at the dining room table, Kelly looked at Emily and then nodded at the glasses she brought over. 'I'll have one, too,' the look said and Emily nodded and grabbed a 5th glass.

"Picked up a few of your father's habits?" Chuck asked, handing a glass to Kelly.

Throwing back the drink in one gulp, Kelly smiled. "Usually Dad and I share a beer in his basement while we're working. Dad likes to build boats down there."

"How do you get 'em out?" Chuck asked, refilling Kelly's glass.

"Don't know," Kelly said, casually. "Dad doesn't let me help with that part." She _really_ didn't like this guy.

"So what brings you back?" Chuck asked, looking at Gibbs.

"A Marine named Ethan LaCombe," Gibbs replied.

Sipping her second drink, Kelly couldn't help but notice that Emily suddenly seemed a bit twitchy. As Nick, Chuck, her father, and grandfather talked about Ethan, Kelly watched Nick Kingston and Chuck Winslow. They knew something… That much she was sure of.

----

"Everyone's always lying to you all the time," Jackson said as he, Kelly, and Gibbs got back to the store. "Can't you ever take things as you see them?"

"I _see _people lying to me!" Gibbs snapped, angrily.

"You were such a happy child," Jackson said, quietly.

"Boss, I talked with Tony and Abby," McGee said, looking at Kelly and Gibbs.

"Boss?" Jackson said, looking at McGee before turning to Gibbs. "You make them call you that?"

"Um… technically he was… referring to me," Kelly said, hesitantly. When her grandfather gave her a look, she shrugged. "It's a… long story." After a moment, she looked at Kate and Jenny, both of whom were asleep. "I'm taking the kids to the hotel. Dad… Grandpa… Play nice," Kelly said as she hurried out the door.

Getting to the hotel, Kelly got the twins bedded for the night and lay down on her bed, not bothering to get undressed. Her father seemed so different being here. Older… harder… like he was trying to prove something. Why couldn't he just…? Sighing, Kelly closed her eyes, hoping she'd be able to get at least an hour before Jenny or Kate started crying.

----------

The next morning, while Ziva and McGee went to the Winslow Mining Company to dig through trash for DNA evidence, Kelly stayed at the store with the twins.

"So what were you saying last night about being a boss?" Jackson asked as Kelly rocked Kate who was fussing.

Gibbs gave Kelly a look as she said, "The Director at NCIS did it. I told him I was pregnant… he responded by making me team leader…" Looking at Gibbs, she said, "I don't want to be your boss, Dad."

"What happened?" Jackson asked again.

Picking up Jenny, Gibbs said, "The previous director… she and I… had a history."

"Jenny Shepard was murdered," Kelly went on. "After the funeral… Director Vance split the team up… and made me team leader."

"Why the devil would he do that?" Jackson asked, confused.

"Because Director Shepard wanted her to be Director of NCIS," Gibbs said, angrily.

"That's what this is all about?" Kelly said, handing Kate to Jackson. "Dad… I don't want to be a boss! I don't want to be director! I just want to be an agent!"

Gibbs sighed. "Then why didn't you say something to Vance when Tony came back?" he asked.

"Um… 36 weeks pregnant?" Kelly replied. "I had other things to think about."

When the door opened, revealing Ed Brecker and Chuck Winslow, Kelly took Kate back from Jackson. "Nice to see you again," Kelly said as she got the girls settled in the stroller.

"Those two yours?" Chuck asked, looking at Kate and Jenny.

"Caitlin Cassidy and Jennifer Shannon," Kelly replied, nodding. "Excuse me." Taking the kids outside, Kelly paced a bit before watching Ed and Chuck come out of the store. Going back inside, she sat at the table and watched as Gibbs grabbed a broom and started sweeping the floor. As she watched her father, she asked, "So what's the story between you guys?"

"What makes you think there is a story?" Gibbs asked, not looking at Kelly.

"I'm not an idiot, Dad," Kelly replied.

"They're… a couple of old rivals," Gibbs said, dodging the question as McGee came in followed by Ziva.

"Find anything?" Kelly asked, just as there was an explosion just outside. Both Kate and Jenny started crying and Kelly picked up Kate while Ziva grabbed Jenny. "It's okay…" Kelly said, softly to Kate while Ziva started gently singing to Jenny.

"Is everyone okay?" Jackson said, coming in from the back.

"We're okay," Kelly assured him, rocking Kate who was crying louder. "I know, baby… Shhh… It's okay, Katie… It's okay."

After a few moments, Gibbs came in and took Jenny from Ziva.

"What happened?" Ziva asked, looking at her boss who looked… resolved and more like his old self.

"Someone blew up the car," Gibbs replied.

"All our evidence was in there," Ziva said, feeling her anger rising.

"I don't care about that, Ziva," Gibbs replied. "I'm just glad you and Kelly are the girls are okay."

"We're fine, Dad," Kelly assured him.

----

It was shortly after the car fire was put out that Tony and Abby pulled up behind in their rental car. While McGee and Ziva went outside to greet their coworkers, Kelly stayed inside so she could get the twins changed and settled in their stroller for a nap.

"Hey," Tony said, when he came into the store. "You guys okay?"

"We're fine," Kelly replied, hugging her fiancé and giving him a kiss.

"So this is Tony?" Jackson said with a smile as he leaned on the counter.

Kelly smiled as she turned to her grandfather. "Yes. Tony, this is my grandfather. Grandpa… Tony DiNozzo."

"Nice to meet you," Jackson replied, holding out a hand which Tony shook.

"DiNozzo," Gibbs said, coming from the back. "Court order."

Tony held up the court order. "Winslow residence, Winslow Mining Company—including employees. Nick Kingston, Emily Kingston… Chris Kingston."

"You've got a court order for a 5-year-old?" Jackson asked, surprised.

"Hey, kids can be smart," Kelly said, looking at Gibbs. "Remember Zach Tanner?"

"Chris Kingston is 5 and ¾," Gibbs corrected, his tone heavy with meaning. "Have Abby set up here," he said to Tony. "We'll bring her the evidence." Seeing his father taking down the Winchester, he held out his hand but frowned when Jackson handed the rifle to Kelly. "_Kelly_ gets the gun?"

"Yeah," Jackson said, unable to hide the smile on his face. "Is there a problem with that?" After a moment, he said, "Oh, and I almost forgot. I've got something for you in the barn."

Gibbs looked a bit puzzled and a bit annoyed, but followed his father with Kelly walking behind, the rifle over her shoulder. Opening the barn door, Gibbs was starting to get a bit curious, but as he turned and saw the car he'd bought when he was 17…

"Oh, my God…" Kelly said, walking around the car. "Dad… This is…" But as she looked up, she trailed off as she saw the look on her father's face. The look was shock… and pure joy. She tried to think but she couldn't really think of a moment her father had ever looked that happy.

---

As Tony, McGee, and Ziva headed for their own car, they heard the roar of a car behind them and turned to see Leroy Jethro Gibbs tearing around the corner, Kelly in the passenger seat of the classic Charger.

As they sped past the rest of the team, Kelly stuck her hand out the window and waved a good bye before letting out a whoop of delight. "Dad, I can _not_ believe you ever owned a car this cool!"

Gibbs didn't reply, but he smiled as he felt the rumble of the car as it headed down the road. This was fun… he almost felt like a kid again as he and Kelly headed for the Winslow residence. Getting out of the car, Kelly took a spot on the porch steps while her father went inside.

After a few minutes, Kelly slowly stood when she saw a sheriff's department vehicle pull into the drive. When Ed Brecker got out of the car, he looked surprised that Kelly was there and that she held the Winchester. "Does Jack know you've got that?" Ed asked, nodding to the rifle.

"Yes, he does," Kelly replied with a smirk. "And before you ask… Yeah… I know how to shoot it. Something I can help you with?"

"Got a report of a disturbance up here," Ed said, eying Kelly.

"Seems quiet to me," Kelly said, shrugging.

"Excuse me," Ed said, heading for the door, but stopping when he found Kelly in his way. "Don't want to have to hurt you, Miss Gibbs."

"Step back," Kelly told him, her tone even and her smile vanishing. "I think my dad and your buddy can talk without back up, don't you?"

"You're just like your old man, you know that?" Ed said, trying to be menacing and a little put off when Kelly didn't back down.

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Kelly said, smiling again.

----------

"Well, that was disappointing," Kelly said as she and Gibbs entered the store later that evening.

"Things didn't go well?" Jackson asked, looking a bit worried.

"I was really hoping those two would give me an excuse to shoot them," Kelly replied, handing the Winchester back to her grandfather who set it back on the wall. Looking around, she asked, "Tony took the kids back to the hotel?"

"Yeah," McGee replied. "And he said you can stay in Abby's room so you can get some sleep."

"Good man," Jackson said with a smile.

"Yeah, I think I'll keep him around," Kelly replied as she gestured that Abby should report on her findings.

After a lengthy explanation of the blood samples, Abby held up two samples. "This is the sample we have from LaCombe. These dark markers here and here--" she pointed to the spots. "It's a genetically inherited blood anomaly. They also show up—" Abby held the two samples together and the others could see the marks lining up. "—in this sample. The owner of this sample--" she went on, indicating the top sample. "—is related to LaCombe."

"Father and son?" Jackson said, surprised, as he looked at his son. "Guess you were right about people hiding things."

"I'm trying to think which is more appropriate," Kelly said, resting her head on her hand. "Rule #3, 4, 7, or 8."

"What?" Jackson said, looking even more puzzled.

Raising her eyebrows, Kelly sat up and said, "Rule #3: Don't believe what you're told. Double check. #4: The best way to keep a secret is to keep it to yourself. Second best is to tell one other person, if you must. There is no third best. #7: Always be specific when you lie. And #8: Never take anything for granted."

"Interesting," Jackson said, eyeing Gibbs. When had his son come up with his own code? "Now… Are we going to sit around or solve a case?"

"Right," Kelly said, standing up. "Dad… You, Tim, and Ziva go back to the Winslow residence. I'll make sure Ed picks up the two guys who attacked LaCombe and Taylor."

"Need back up?" Jackson asked.

"No," Kelly said with a smile. "He and I will get along just fine."

-------------

The next morning, Kelly woke late and when she reached the general store, she found Tony packing up the car and getting Kate and Jenny into their car seats. "Get any sleep?" Kelly asked after giving Tony a good morning kiss.

"Ziva sang them to sleep last night," Tony replied, nodding. "Actually was able to get a few hours sleep last night."

"You're not leaving already, are you?" Jackson said, smiling as he came out of the store with Gibbs.

"Wish we could stay, Grandpa," Kelly said, hugging him.

"I was hoping I'd at least get to see you get married," Jackson replied.

Kelly laughed. "We'll send you an invitation," she replied.

"Why can't you just get married here?" Jackson suggested. "We've got a jeweler and I'm sure you can find a dress somewhere in this town."

"I don't even need you to wear the dress," Tony said, grinning. When he didn't feel Gibbs whack the back of his head, he turned. "You're not gonna--?"

But when Tony turned, Kelly smacked him on the back of the head. Tony looked at looked at her before turning back to Gibbs who smiled. "She's the boss, DiNozzo," Gibbs said, quietly.

Looking at her grandfather, Kelly grinned. "Tony's right." Looking at Tony, she said, "Let's just get the rings, go to the church and do it."

"I thought all girls have fantasies about the perfect wedding," Tony replied.

"I'm not most girls, am I?" Kelly replied.

Gibbs laughed as Kelly and Tony headed for Stillwater Jewelers and as he went for a walk, his mind drifted back to when he was 19.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_July 5__th__, 1976_

_Leroy Jethro Gibbs wasn't usually one to run away from his problems but as he walked towards the train station, he tried to tell himself that he wasn't running way._

_As he got closer to the benches, Leroy saw a familiar redhead sitting on the other side of the bench. He felt nervous as he sat down, hoping it wasn't too obvious that he was a bit uneasy being so close to her._

_But the mystery girl just smiled and turned to look at him. "What were you and those guys fighting about?" she asked, casually._

"_Oh…" Leroy said, thinking but looking at this girl… he couldn't even think of what started the fight. "I don't even remember."_

"_You should stop," the girl replied._

"_A-Are you waiting for the train, too?" Leroy asked, hoping she was. When she nodded, he said, "We could sit together."_

"_I don't know," she replied, smiling. "It's a long ride." Looking him over, she added, "But I guess you're not a lumberjack."_

"_No," Leroy said, confused._

"_Well, I have a rule," the girl explained. "It's either rule #1 or #3… _Never_ date a lumberjack."_

_Leroy smiled at that. "You got a rule for everything?" he asked, entranced by this beautiful girl who never dated lumberjacks._

"_Working on it," she said, smiling. "Everyone needs a code they can live by."_

_Leroy nodded at that, wondering what rules he'd come up with. Although there was one that was starting to formulate in his mind. _'Only date redheads.'

"_What's your name?" The girl asked._

_Leroy had been dreading that. He hated his name. "Leroy Jethro Gibbs."_

"_I'm just going to call you 'Gibbs'," she said, smiling, and her hazel eyes twinkling._

"_You can call me whatever you want," Gibbs said, not ever wanting to leave the bench… or to leave her._

"_I'm Shannon," she said, smiling even more when Gibbs smiled. Even if Gibbs _was_ a lumberjack… there were exceptions to every rule, right?_


	16. Meet the Team

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Just a quickie chapter that covers how some of the characters met Kelly. I wanted to put Jenny in this one but I figured I'd save that for later. Next chapter will likely be a backtrack chapter for the second season 'Call of Silence'.

Remember to read, review, and show your love!

NCIS—WSHB—Meet the Team

* * *

_**Tony DiNozzo**_

Anthony DiNozzo wasn't quite sure what to expect his first day at NCIS. After working with Special Agent Jethro Gibbs on a homicide case in Baltimore, Maryland, the NCIS agent had offered Tony a job working for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

After passing the field tests and firearms proficiency, Tony figured he'd probably get partnered with another agent, get treated like a newbie for a while…

But when Tony walked into the squad room he certainly didn't expect to see a beautiful, long-legged young woman with reddish-brown hair sitting at one of the desks, her pedicured feet in strap sandals and up on the desk as she read a book on law enforcement training. She wore denim capri pants which exposed a light surgical scar on her right leg, and a sleeveless blue top but as far as Tony could tell, she wasn't wearing a visitor's pass.

"Can I help you?" Tony asked, uncertainly. When the girl lowered the book, Tony took an involuntary step back as he recognized the blue eyes of his new boss, Leroy Jethro Gibbs. "Um… Are you related to Agent Gibbs?" Tony asked, sort of dreading the answer.

"That's an understatement, Agent…?" the young mystery woman said, looking Tony up and down.

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs shouted, striding over. As soon as he saw the young woman at his desk, Gibbs raised a hand and smacked Tony on the back of the head. "Your desk is over there," Gibbs added, pointing to the desk at the end before heading to the upper level.

"He do that often?" Tony asked, rubbing the back of his head, not sure if he wanted to put up with regular physical abuse from his boss.

"You'll get used to it," the woman said, smiling as she slowly brought her legs down and got up from her chair. "Or you'll end up with permanent brain damage." Walking past Tony to the elevator, she smiled as she felt him look her over. "Don't think Dad would like you checking out my ass, DiNozzo," she said with a smile.

It took a few moments for her words to sink in and just as he saw the elevator doors open, Tony said, "Wait—'Dad'?"

"Kelly Gibbs," Kelly said as she stepped into the elevator. "Nice meeting you, Agent DiNozzo."

As he sat down at his desk, Tony wondered if he would survive working at NCIS. And especially if he could survive working here with Kelly Gibbs…

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_**Abby Scuito**_

After more than 6 months of job searches, Abigail Scuito was totally excited when she got a job offer at NCIS. It sounded like a good opportunity and the lab was wonderful.

Stopping at a nearby coffee shop for her morning Caf-Pow, Abby took a long drink and finally felt ready to start her new job.

----

After entering the lab and firing up her equipment, Abby heard foot steps behind her and turned to see a teenager limping into the room. "Hi," Abby said, as she pulled out Bert, the stuffed hippo she'd had since she was 13. Setting him on the counter, Abby heard the teenager laugh as the hippo let out a fart sound. "He's supposed to make that sound."

"Cool," the girl said, giving Bert a squeeze. "I'm Kelly."

"Abby," Abby replied, as she pulled out her portable stereo and put on one of her CDs. "Did you need something? I mean I just started and I didn't know I had a case already. I mean I can fire everything up and I can get you results in a bit I just didn't know I was getting thrown a case on my first day."

"Ever think of switching to decaf?" Kelly asked, eying the huge cup of Caf-Pow.

"Oh, no!" Abby insisted. "I'm fine… just nervous and when I'm nervous I talk. I mean I shouldn't be nervous, it's not like Agent Gibbs is going to fire me on my first day, right?"

"Not likely," Kelly replied, looking over this forensic scientist who dressed as a goth. "Dad told me you're one of the best forensic scientists out there right now."

"'Dad'?" Abby asked, raising an eyebrow in interest.

Kelly nodded. "Agent Gibbs is my father. I really hate it, though," She added. "You know, no one ever treats me like a normal kid. Ducky's nice, but Dad's boss and the other agents…"

"How come you're hanging around here?" Abby asked as she finished unloading her things.

"Mom died when I was 8," Kelly replied. "Since then, Dad's kinda wanted me to stay close."

"What about school?" Abby asked, thinking that if Gibbs kept his daughter that close, how close did he keep his team?

"Dad drops me off and after school I either come here and work on homework or I go to my friend Maddie's house if Dad's on a case," Kelly replied as she paced the lab, looking at the equipment. "So… how does this stuff work, anyway?"

With that question, Abby felt a fresh surge of energy as she grabbed Kelly's arm and pulled her over to this mass spectrometer. "Okay this—" Abby said as she put a hand on her favorite piece of lab equipment. "—is the mass spectrometer. Or as I like to call it 'Major Mass Spec'."

"Okay," Kelly said, nodding. "How does it work?"

"Okay," Abby said, getting into her element as she pulled a sample out of her kit and put it into the machine. "You want the short version or the long version?"

"Short," Kelly replied.

"Okay, basically, the Major Mass Spec will break down a sample into it's basic structures. It'll give you the chemical composition of a substance as well as the percentage of each component."

"Cool," Kelly replied.

----------------------------

_6 Years Later_

_-_

"How's the new agent?" Abby Scuito asked when she saw Gibbs come into her lab holding a large Caf-Pow a few days after Tony DiNozzo had joined the team.

"He's going to be fine," Gibbs replied with a smile as he set Abby's drink next to her.

"You already smacked him on the head, didn't you?" Abby said with a smirk.

"He was checking Kelly out," Gibbs explained.

"And so has every guy under the age of 35 who's ever met her," Abby said, repressing the urge to roll her eyes. "When are you finally going to let Kelly date someone more than once?"

"When she finally finds the right guy," Gibbs said, honestly.

"And just who would that be?" Abby asked, curiously. When Gibbs didn't reply, Abby nodded. "Exactly. According to you, no one's ever good enough for her. You've got to let the girl have a life, Gibbs."

Gibbs knew Abby was right, but the last thing he wanted to do was admit it. But as he got back to the squad room and found Kelly talking with Anthony DiNozzo, Gibbs hid a smile as he saw Kelly look at him.

Maybe DiNozzo would be a good fit for Kelly… When he grew up a bit and matured as an agent…

****************************************************************

_**Dr. Donald 'Ducky' Mallard**_

"Can I help you, Miss Gibbs?" Ducky asked when he found Jethro Gibbs' teenage daughter looking around Autopsy.

"I was hoping to see a dead body," Kelly replied, quickly.

"Really?" Ducky asked, curiously. "Usually people want to _avoid_ seeing a corpse."

"Well, Dad's taught me how to shoot," Kelly went on. "And Abby's been showing me all this forensic stuff… I know how the computers and everything work in MTAC…"

"And observing a dead body is next on the list?" Ducky asked as Kelly limped over to the desk in the corner. "How's the leg?"

"Fine," Kelly said, shortly as she leaned against the desk. "Look…" she added in a low voice. "Any chance I could… observe an autopsy?"

Ducky was hesitant to allow Gibbs' daughter to observe but after a while, he went to one of the storage lockers and pulled out one of the slabs. "Have a look, Miss Gibbs."

"Kelly," Kelly said, with a smile as the looked at the body of a man in his 50's.

"Kelly…" Ducky said, keeping an eye out in case Gibbs showed up. "What can you tell me about how this poor gentleman died?"

Kelly looked closely at the body and said, "Not the gunshot wound to the chest."

"And why do you say that?" Ducky asked, frowning slightly.

"Well, the bullet isn't exactly in a spot to hit anything vital…" Kelly replied. "I mean… yeah, he could have bled out over a period of time, but…"

"No, I meant what makes you say it's a bullet wound?" Ducky asked, looking closer at the circular wound in the chest.

"When you grow up around firearms," Kelly said with a smile. "—you learn to recognize how different gunshot wounds look. I'd guess… a .22."

"Considering we found .22 casings nearby, I'd agree," Gibbs said as he walked up to the two. Giving his daughter a look as Ducky put the body away, Gibbs said, "Dr. Mallard, I need to have a word with you."

Taking her cue to leave, Kelly limped out of Autopsy, leaving her father and Ducky alone.

"Jethro, the girl was merely curious," Ducky said, defending himself. "I really don't see the harm in—"

"Do you have kids, Ducky?" Gibbs asked, his gaze chilly.

"No," Ducky admitted. "No, I don't."

"There are some things you just don't want your kids to see, Duck," Gibbs said, quietly. "I don't care how much she begs or what she tries to bribe you with… You are not to let Kelly in this room for any reason."

"Understood," Ducky said as Gibbs left the room.

****************************************************************

_**Ziva David**_

Coming into the NCIS squad room, Ziva David went to set her things down next to the first available desk, stopping when she saw a young woman in her 20's sleeping there, her feet up on the desk and a laptop computer open on the desk. After a moment, Ziva moved her things down to the desk at the end before going to the young woman and clearing her throat.

"What?" The young woman said without opening her eyes.

"Can I help you with something, Miss…?"

"Gibbs," the woman said, opening one eye. After a few seconds, the other eye opened and the young woman said, "Ziva David, right?"

"Yes," Ziva replied. "So you would be Kelly, then, yes?"

"Yeah," Kelly said, stretching. "What are you doing here?"

"What are _you_ doing here?" Ziva countered as Kelly stood and stretched.

"My roommate was throwing a post midterm party," Kelly explained. "I still have a paper to write so I came here." Massaging a kink in her neck, Kelly looked at her watch. "Guess I fell asleep." Looking at Ziva, she asked, "So what about you, Miss David? What brings you back to NCIS?"

"Mossad has assigned me to Gibbs' team as a liaison officer," Ziva replied. Watching Kelly for a few moments, Ziva's curiosity got the better of her. "How did you get into the building after hours?"

"Oh, there are few places I can't go, Officer David," Kelly said with a smile as she started working on her computer again. After a few minutes, Kelly looked up and found that Ziva had sat down at Tony's desk. "No one's going to be in until 0700," she said, before turning back to the paper she was writing.

"Does Gibbs know you can come in here any time you wish?" Ziva asked.

"Yep," Kelly said, not looking up. "I know every inch of the Navy Yard and about 95% of Naval officers and Marines know me either on sight or by name."

"You're popular, then?" Ziva asked, interested.

"Because of my father," Kelly corrected. After a few minutes, Kelly's own curiosity and temper started getting the better of her and she said, "So your brother murders Kate Todd and you decided to take her place?"

Ziva sighed, wondering if this is how she would be treated by the others. "I do not wish to take Agent Todd's place."

"Then why do you want to work with _us_?" Kelly demanded, looking up. "I'd think the CIA would be a better fit. Spying… assassinations… Seems more suitable to a Mossad agent."

"I understand you probably don't like me right now…" Ziva said, trying not to feel offended.

"No, you _don't_ understand, Officer David," Kelly snapped, her anger rising. "Unless your mother was killed right in front of you and someone you regarded as a surrogate was brutally murdered… you do _not_ get to sit there and tell me you understand how I feel." Going back to her paper, Kelly started writing but after a while, she decided to quit for the moment until she'd cooled down. Switching over to her internet browser to work on her emails, Kelly tried not to look at Ziva who was obviously feeling impatient as she waited for Gibbs.

****************************************************************

_**Mike Franks**_

"So how's the kid?" Franks asked Gibbs as the two sat on the beach, looking out at the ocean.

It had been two weeks since Gibbs had arrived after being blown up, put in a coma, and losing his memory. And despite being retired, Gibbs had yet to really smile or relax. "Kelly?" Gibbs asked, taking a sip of his beer. "She's fine."

"Don't lie to me, Gunny," Franks said, taking a drink of his own beer. Smiling, he said, "I remember the first time you brought that girl of yours to the office."

"So do I," Gibbs said, nodding as he stared at the beautiful blue waters of Mexico.

-------------

_15 Years Ago_

"_This ain't a goddamn daycare, Probie," Franks said as he saw Jethro Gibbs coming into the office followed by an 9-year-old girl who was balancing on crutches, her whole right leg in a cast._

"_Sorry, boss," Gibbs said as Kelly sat down at her father's desk. _

_Franks reached up and smacked Gibbs on the back of the head. "Never say you're sorry. It's a sign of weakness."_

"_Why?" Kelly asked, looking at Franks._

"_Why what?" Franks asked, looking at the kid._

"_Why is it a sign of weakness to say you're sorry?" Kelly asked, looking at her father's new boss. "What if you really, really mean it?"_

_Franks stared at Kelly and he actually gave her a smile. "You really want to show you're sorry for something? Then you either give a damn good explanation for your actions or you do whatever it takes to make it right."_

_Kelly nodded. "Is that a Rule?"_

_Franks raised an eyebrow at that and asked, "A rule?"_

"_Like how Daddy says to always carry a knife," Kelly explained._

_Looking first at Gibbs, then at Kelly again, Franks laughed. "Yeah. Yeah, it's a rule. One of_ my _rules."_

"_Okay," Kelly said with a nod. Looking at her father, she asked, "Daddy, where did you leave off?"_

_Gibbs thought for a moment, then said, "40."_

"_Rule 41," Kelly said, in an authoritative tone. "Never say you're sorry."_

_Giving his boss a look, Gibbs asked, "So… can she hang out here for a while, boss?"_

_Looking at Kelly, Franks smiled, "You're a little too young to be an agent, kid." When he saw Kelly smile at him, Franks grumbled to himself under his breath. "I'm going soft."_

"_I won't tell anyone," Kelly promised, wiping the smile from her face. "Promise. You can be a mean old grumpy ass all you want. I won't tell anyone you're really just a big teddy bear."_

_Franks smacked Gibbs on the head again and asked, "Just what the hell have you been telling the kid about me, Probie?"_

_But before Gibbs could reply, Kelly said, "Daddy said he got yelled at a whole lot less when he first joined the Marines. And his boss was nicer too." Seeing her father's look, Kelly said, "You didn't tell me I wasn't allowed to tell."_

"_The kid can stay, Probie," Franks said with a smile. To Kelly, he said, "Maybe you can help keep your old man in line."_

"_No problem," Kelly replied, happily. "Daddy says I have him wrapped around my finger. And he said when I'm older, I can just smile at anyone and get exactly what I want."_

_While Gibbs tried to think of a way to get his little girl to shut up, Franks said, "I think I'm gonna like having you around, kid."_


	17. Who I Am

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Just a little chapter where Kelly muses over those who have influenced her over the years… And Gibbs thinks about the woman his little girl has become.

I used two episodes in this chapter, both of which are labeled. And there are two appearences from fallen characters.

NCIS--What Should Have Been: Who I Am

* * *

On her 27th birthday, Kelly had decided to forgo her usual partying with Maddie and opted for a quiet evening at home while Tony and her father looked after the girls.

Pulling out the old photo albums, Kelly flipped through them and let her mind wander. More than once there past weeks, she'd wondered about what her daughters would be like when they grew up.

Stopping at one of the photos, Kelly smiled and sipped her beer, remembering fondly when she first met Marine Corporal Earnest Yost.

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_**Call of Silence**_

"Dad, you are completely mental," Kelly said as she got out of her father's car at NCIS and grabbed her computer bag from the back seat.

"Mental?" Gibbs asked as he and Kelly walked towards the building.

"Lost it, insane, no longer playing with a full deck?" Kelly clarified.

"I know what it means," Gibbs said, rolling his eyes. "I'm just wondering why you're calling _me_ mental."

"Okay, Superman would kick Batman's ass all the way to Krypton!" Kelly insisted as she and Gibbs entered the brick building. But as Kelly went to follow her father through the employee gate, one of the security guards stopped her. "Oh, for God's sake, Henry!" Kelly said, irritably. "You've known me ever since you started working here!"

"But you're still not an employee," Henry Baxston said with a smile. "I let you off the hook as far as the visitor's pass."

Grumbling, Kelly dumped all the contents of her pockets into one of the plastic bins and sent it through the metal detector along with her backpack and computer bag. Finally, as she went through the metal detector herself, she looked at Henry. "Happy?" She asked, her voice full of annoyance and sarcasm.

"Delighted," Henry replied as he watched Kelly get her things. Smiling at her, he said, "Have a nice day, now."

Turning as she heard a beeping noise behind her, Kelly saw another container come through the scanner and saw what looked like a very old gun as well as a set of keys and a wallet. Looking at the man on the other side of the metal detector, she said, "Is this yours?"

"Yeah… yeah," the old man replied. "I-I hope that doesn't mean I can't come in." Seeing Henry go to intercept him, the man said, "Now hold your horses. I wasn't going to hurt anybody with it. It's evidence."

Kelly looked at Gibbs who nodded and waved the man through before watching Henry wave the metal detection wand over the old man. When it went off, Henry asked, "You wearing jewelry?"

"Oh, yeah," the man said, pulling something from around his neck. "I forgot. Senior moment."

Seeing the Medal of Honor, Kelly straightened up and out of reflex, saluted the man. "Sir."

The man smiled a bit at Kelly. "Nice salute, young lady. Your parents teach you that?"

"Yes, sir," Kelly replied, nodding. "And you are, sir?"

"Yost," the man replied. "Corporal Ernie Yost."

"Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs," Gibbs said, showing his badge. "NCIS. How can I help you, Corporal?"

"Special Agent, huh?" Yost said in an appraising tone. "Just the man I'm looking for."

"Be an honor to help you, sir," Gibbs replied, putting his badge away.

"Save that till you know why I'm here," Yost said, his tone slightly melancholy.

"Does it have something to do with the evidence you're delivering?" Kelly asked, eying the gun. A little cleaning, and it would be a beautiful piece. She wondered how well it still fired, considering that it looked at least 40 years old.

"I murdered a Marine with that .45," Yost stated.

Kelly looked at Yost, then at her father who said, "Let's go up to the squad room, Corporal."

Following the two up to the squad room, Kelly set her stuff at her usual vacant desk and started working on her college assignments while Gibbs pulled a chair over by the desk. "Kelly… Keep Mr. Yost company. Kate, McGee, DiNozzo… with me."

"Let me guess," Yost said, looking at Gibbs, then at Kelly. "Father?"

Kelly nodded. "I've been roaming the Navy Yard since I was a kid. Dad taught me how to shoot when I was about 13."

"Good man," Yost said, looking over at Gibbs before turning back to Kelly. "You probably think I'm just a… crazy old man, right?"

"No," Kelly replied, honestly, hiding a smile when Yost shook his head.

"Nah, I know you do," Yost insisted with a smile. "So what's a pretty, young thing like you doin' here?"

"Best way to spend time with my dad," Kelly replied with a smile.

Yost smiled at that and nodded. "Yeah, me and my wife—Dorothy—we never had kids."

"So…" Kelly said, looking at Yost. "Tell me about this Marine you said you killed…"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yost hadn't actually killed anyone, as it had turned out. And until last year, Kelly had stayed in touch with the man. At his funeral, Kelly remembered how good it had felt to stand next to the grave of someone who had lived a hero, but had died of old age, rather than been senselessly murdered.

Looking at the last picture taken of Kate before she'd been killed, Kelly smiled at the memory. It had been her 23rd birthday and—as usual—Kate was Kelly's bodyguard at the club despite the fact that Abby, Tony, and Maddie were there as well.

Kelly smiled as she thought back to the fallen NCIS agent.

When Kate Todd had started working at NCIS, Kelly has started to see Kate as a maternal figure and as the months passed, Kelly started to notice that Kate was often a voice of reason and often said 'no' when Gibbs couldn't.

"I wanted to thank you," Kate said as she appeared on couch next to Kelly.

"For what?" Kelly asked, chuckling softly at the picture of herself, Kate, and Abby striking a 'Charlie's Angels' pose while Tony and McGee stood in the background.

"For naming your daughter after me," Kate replied, spotting a picture on the table next to the couch. "This is them?"

"Caitlin's on the right," Kelly replied, nodding.

"She's beautiful," Kate observed. Laughing, she said, "I still can not believe that you and Tony actually got married. I _never_ thought I'd ever see Tony settle down."

"I miss you, Kate," Kelly said, looking at the photo album. "A lot…"

"I miss you guys, too," Kate said, smiling.

"When I heard that Ari was after Dad…" Kelly said, thinking of the last time she'd seen Kate alive. "Why you, Kate?" Picking up the picture of Caitlin and Jennifer. "Why aren't you here to help me raise my kids?"

"You'll do fine, Kelly," Kate assured her. "I know you're scared… What parent isn't?"

"I don't really know what I'm doing," Kelly insisted.

"Yes, you do," Kate said, her voice full of confidence. "You'll be just fine."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As Gibbs got Kate and Jen down for a nap, he smiled as he looked over at Tony who was sacked out on the couch. Tony had jumped into parenthood headfirst and as a result had barely gotten a good night's sleep the past two months.

Looking at the two sleeping babies, Gibbs couldn't help but be just a little worried about how his grandkids would turn out. Kelly was stubborn as Hell and Tony wasn't really much better.

But while Kelly was stubborn, she could also be adaptive, and in almost any situation, she could get a feel for what was going on and improvise… something Gibbs found a bit tricky at times.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

_**One Shot, One Kill**_

Gibbs had expected to have a few… unusual possible recruits come in while he was undercover as a Marine recruiter. Hell, he even expected a few hard-sells…

But when Kelly had walked in, trying to hide a smirk, Gibbs was so very tempted to blow his cover. "Can I help you, miss?" Gibbs asked, giving Kelly a look.

"Yes," Kelly replied, smiling at Kate and her father. "I heard about the Marine recruiters getting killed… I thought maybe you could use me."

"The Corps can be pretty demanding," Gibbs said, trying to maintain his cover. "You think you're up to it?"

Kelly's smirk grew as she said, "My father was a Marine, Gunnery Sergeant."

At her desk, Kate rolled her eyes but out of curiosity, decided to profile Kelly and Gibbs… just for fun…

"So you want to join because of your father?" Gibbs asked, trying his hardest to keep a straight face. And part of him… a small part… was genuinely interested to know why Kelly would be interested in being a Marine.

"He taught me how to handle a knife when I was 10," Kelly said, the smirk vanishing from her face. "Taught me to shoot when I was 12. Being a Marine… was a big part of who he was… And…" Looking into her father's eyes, Kelly shrugged. "I've always tried to insist I'm nothing like him, but… Lately I've noticed we're more alike then I thought. If my dad can do it… I know I can."

Gibbs held Kelly's gaze for a while before he smiled. "Well… I think the Marines could definitely use you."

"Really?" Kelly said, raising an eyebrow. She'd expected to be rushed out of the office quickly but seeing that her father was going to give her the full pitch, Kelly decided to go with it. "Um… When I was a kid I was in a car accident. Got my leg messed up a bit. It's fine now, but… would that be a problem?"

Kate watched Gibbs and Kelly and when Kelly talked about her accident, Kate saw that Kelly was really trying to step into the role of a possible recruit, rather than just coming in to try and throw off her father. While Gibbs talked about opportunities as a recruiter or instructor, Kate noticed that Gibbs' tone and body language had changed. At first, he'd been stiff, and a bit irritated. But now Gibbs was relaxed and although his eyes were fixed on Kelly, Kate could see that it wasn't the chilly gaze when Kelly had first walked in.

After getting some information, Kelly snapped to attention and saluted Kate and Gibbs. "Captain… Gunnery Sergeant…" As she headed for the door, Kelly stopped and turned, looking back at her father. "Um…"

"Yes?" Gibbs asked, raising an eyebrow.

"In case I never said it…" Kelly said with a smile that was both for her father, the agent and her father, the Marine. "Thank you."

Watching Kelly leave and head down the street, Gibbs had never been prouder to be her father.

"Wow…" Kate said, looking at Gibbs. "That's… the first time I think I've ever heard that."

Gibbs nodded as he went to sit behind the desk again. "You think protecting the President is a thankless job, Kate?" Gibbs said, the tiniest hint of a smile on his face. "Try being a real Marine. You give everything for your country… you sacrifice time with your family…" Looking at the doorway, Gibbs added, "But when you hear someone thank you… just for doing your job… It makes everything worth it, Kate. It lets you know that some people actually understand how hard it is."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bringing himself back to the present, Gibbs continued staring at his sleeping granddaughters.

Jen looked like Kelly with red hair and Kelly's brown eyes. Kate had Kelly's hair as well, but her eyes were more like Tony's—the color of sea water but with the faintest touch of brown.

"They're beautiful, Jethro," Shannon said as she looked at her sleeping granddaughters. Looking at Tony, she smiled. "He looks exhausted. Kinda like you when we first brought Kelly home. Remember?"

Gibbs grinned and nodded. "The first time Kelly slept through the night was one of the best nights of my life."

"You did alright with her, Jethro," Shannon said, quietly as she stroked Jen's cheek. "Kelly became who she is because of you."

"That's what I'm afraid of, Shannon," Gibbs said, quietly, looking at his first wife… and his first true love. "Kelly is… more like me every day. I never…" Shaking his head, he said, "I was wrong about Kelly. I never… let her… be a kid."

"No…" Shannon agreed. "But you protected her… you taught her all of your rules… and you always encouraged her to grow."

"I never let her date who she wanted," Gibbs went on.

"You never wanted her to date someone she didn't love," Shannon said with a smile. "You wanted her to wait until she fell for someone… and loved them as much as I loved you." Running her fingers through Gibbs' gray hair, she said, "You've aged too much, Jethro. What happened to that young, dashing Marine I met at the train station in Stillwater?"

"Time… Too many close calls… Too many lonely nights…" Gibbs said, as he took Shannon's hand and kissed it. "I miss you, Shannon."

Holding Gibbs' face in her hands, Shannon kissed him. "I've missed you, too, Jethro. Do me a favor, okay?"

"Anything," Gibbs promised.

"Take care of my granddaughters," Shannon replied. "And… find someone who makes you happy." Seeing Gibbs about to argue, she put a finger to his lips. "No 'buts', Jethro. If you want some help, I suggest calling Hawaii."

"Gibbs?"

Gibbs looked up and saw Tony looking at him. "What, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked, wondering if Shannon had really been there or if it had just been his imagination…

"You okay, boss?" Tony asked, getting up and stretching.

"Yeah," Gibbs replied, noticing that the girls were still asleep. "Keep an eye on them, will you, DiNozzo?"

"You ever going to call me 'Tony'… Dad?" Tony asked with a smile.

Smacking Tony on the back of the head, Gibbs smiled. "When you grow up, DiNozzo."

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	18. Fathers and Daughters

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Jumping ahead to after the 6th season finale, I wanted to post a Father's Day chapter. Enjoy!

NCIS-WSHB: Fathers and Daughters

* * *

Getting out of his car next to the general store, Gibbs smiled as he noticed that Stillwater, Pennsylvania looked about the same as when he'd been here 9 months ago. When Tony got out of the car, he asked, "You okay, boss?"

Gibbs smiled at that. After a few moments, he nodded. "I'm fine, DiNozzo."

But watching Gibbs look around, Tony could tell that something was the older man. "Kelly said she'd be a little late. Said she had something to do first."

-------------

Looking over at Ziva who was staring out the window, Kelly said, "Glad you came along."

Ziva nodded, not really in the mood to talk. After being rescued by an entire Marine Corps unit from Somalian pirates, Ziva had been quiet and withdrawn, especially after finding out that her 'mission' had really been orchestrated by a black ops unit of Mossad.

Pulling up to an old house about 5 miles outside of Stillwater—the home of her maternal grandparents—Kelly parked and looked over at Ziva. "Ziva, I… I can't imagine how you feel right now. And… please don't rip my head off when I say this," Kelly added, waiting until Ziva looked at her. "Your father… is a complete ass."

"I have… tried so hard to make him proud," Ziva said, looking at Kelly. "Every time I went out on an op… Every mission I went on… I always hoped… That _this_ time my father would say it." Turning around and looking at Jenny and Kate, Ziva gave the twins a sad smile before looking at Kelly. "Always tell them that you're proud of them."

"I will," Kelly promised her friend before giving her a hug. "Come on."

Getting the girls into their stroller, Kelly led the way to the front door of the house and knocked. After a few moments, an older woman with red hair opened the door. "Kelly…" she said, in surprise.

"This is Ziva David," Kelly said, nodding over her shoulder. "She and I work together at NCIS. And, uh…" Looking down at Kate and Jenny, Kelly smiled. "These are your great-granddaughters."

----------

Getting to Stillwater around dinnertime, Kelly found her father in the garage. "Ziva's taking the kids inside," she said, leaning against the door frame. "She said she's making dinner tonight."

"How's she doing?" Gibbs asked, looking up from where he was working at the rear of the garage.

"She's… angry…" Kelly said, walking up to her father. "Hurt…" Leaning against the workbench, Kelly hesitated for a moment before straightening up and asking, "Dad, are you… Are you proud of me?"

Gibbs turned and looked at Kelly for a moment before frowning slightly, although his eyes were smiling. "You need to ask?"

"Yes," Kelly replied. "Dad… almost all the stuff Ziva has ever done… it was to make her father proud. And he's never said it to her." Looking her father in the eye, she went on. "I know how you feel, Dad. But… I need to hear you say it."

Gibbs sized his daughter up, his mind racing through every time his little girl had done something amazing or wonderful… But really, it was the small moments that made Kelly shine brightest. The way she could adapt to unknown situations… her compassion… "Kelly…" Looking into her eyes, Gibbs suddenly realized that while he had always shown Kelly he was proud of her, he'd never said the words. "You are the best of your mother… and me. I'm always proud of you, Kelly."

Hugging her dad, Kelly smiled. "Thanks." Pulling away, she said, "I love you, Daddy."

"I love you, Kelly," Gibbs said, hugging his little girl again before she ran out of the garage. Turning back to the workbench, Gibbs finished the wood picture frame he'd been making, carefully painting names along the side of the frame. As he set it aside to dry, Gibbs mind wandered back.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_23 Years Ago_

_Shannon had left to spend Father's Day with her parents, leaving Gibbs and a 5-year-old Kelly alone for the weekend._

_On Friday morning, Gibbs had been eager to get some sleep, but that idea went out the window when he felt the bed get dive-bombed. Sitting up, Gibbs couldn't be mad at his little girl who had apparently tried to fix her own pigtails. Laughing, Gibbs pulled Kelly into his lap and said, "Did you do that yourself?"_

"_Uh-huh!" Kelly exclaimed, brightly. "Do I look as pretty as Mommy?"_

"_Prettier," Gibbs assured her as he reached up and fixed Kelly's pigtails. "What are you doing up so early?"_

"_It's…" Kelly frowned as she looked at the clock on the nightstand and raised six fingers. "It's… _this_ early!"_

"_And how early is that?" Gibbs said, part of him wishing he could go back to sleep but also knowing that this was worth the lack of sleep._

_Kelly thought for a moment and finally said, "Zero… six hundred!"_

"_Good," Gibbs said with a smile as he started tickling Kelly. "So I get to tickle you for 600 seconds!"_

"_Daddy!" Kelly squealed, laughing as she tried to squirm out of her father's tickle attack._

_After a few minutes, Gibbs got up, laughing and after getting dressed headed downstairs to the kitchen to make breakfast. As Kelly sat at the kitchen table, she smiled and asked, "Can we go fishing, Daddy?"_

"_You bet," Gibbs said, as he made bacon and eggs. "What else do you want to do today?"_

"_We can do something else, _too_?!" Kelly asked, the idea more than she could imagine._

_Gibbs laughed. "We've got all weekend, Kelly. We can do anything you want."_

"_Can we go to the zoo?" Kelly asked, practically bouncing in her booster seat. "And—And—and—can we have a picnic?" Thinking, she said, "And… can we go on a ship?"_

_Gibbs turned the stove off and had to grab the counter to keep standing as he laughed harder than he'd had in a while. But while he wasn't looking, Kelly had slid down from her seat and suddenly, Gibbs felt himself crashing to the ground as tiny hands tickled him mercilessly. After a few minutes, Gibbs thought his sides would burst from laughing so hard and he was having trouble breathing. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, Sniper," Gibbs said, breathlessly. "Time out." But Gibbs had to bite his lip to keep from laughing again as he saw Kelly sitting on his chest, arms crossed and frowning. After another minute or two, Gibbs grinned and went to tickle her as he said, quickly, "Okay… time in."_

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Even after all these years, Gibbs still looked at that as one of his favorite memories of Kelly as a child.

"Hey, Boss," Tony said as he came into the garage as Gibbs put a picture in the frame and put the whole thing in a box. Holding out a card, Tony said, "Look, I… Uh…"

Gibbs turned and took the card, looking at his son-in-law. "How are the girls?"

"Good," Tony said, nodding. "Your dad's with them and Kelly…"

"Sit down," Gibbs said, gesturing to a wooden crate nearby.

"No bourbon?" Tony asked as he sat. After a while, though, he said, "How do you stop being scared to death?"

Gibbs smiled at that as he sat down as well. "Ahhh, Tony…" Gibbs said, quietly. "You never do."

"You're the… the closest thing I have to a father," Tony admitted. "I know… I've screwed up, Boss."

"Nah," Gibbs said, still smiling. "Look… you've got a family… someone who loves you…" Giving Tony a look, he added, "That sound screwed up to you?"

"No," Tony admitted.

"I'm proud of you, Tony," Gibbs said, honestly. "You're a good agent… a good friend… and you're going to make a hell of a father."

Tony nodded at that. "I guess I just… wonder if I'm going to… raise my kids right. You know?"

"I know, Tony," Gibbs replied, nodding. How many times had he watched Kelly when she was sleeping, praying to anyone who might have been listening that his little girl would turn out okay? Opening the card, Gibbs read: 'We may not be blood, but we're still family'. In Abby's writing were the words: _'A dysfunctional, twisted, family but a family none the less!'_

"Listen…" Tony said, thinking of Ziva. "We need to find a way to help Ziva."

"Like what?" Gibbs asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Something," Tony said as he stood up. "She needs help."

----------

"Surprised you're not visiting your father for Father's Day," Jackson Gibbs said when he found Ziva standing on the front porch.

"It is probably best that I do not see my father right now," Ziva said, a little more sharply than she meant.

"Want to talk about it?" Jackson said, sitting down on the porch swing and nodding to the seat beside him. When Ziva sat down, Jackson watched as she slowly stated swinging back and forth, her feet still touching the porch.

"Sometimes I wonder if my father ever loved me," Ziva said, more to herself but when she felt Jackson's look, she sighed. "My father is the Deputy Director of Mossad."

"Ahhh," Jackson said, nodding in understanding. "Ziva… what made you go to NCIS?" When she gave him a look, he said, "Jethro told me that you wanted this job."

Ziva nodded, not sure where to begin. "In Mossad… I was taught loyalty to my father… to Mossad was… required. But Gibbs… He's never asked for my allegiance. He'll fight for any of us… and he never asks for anything in return."

"When I was in the Air Force," Jackson said, smiling at Ziva. "One of my commanders had a saying. He said that a true leader is not one whom people follow when told. But one whom people follow when told to stay away."

Ziva had an image of herself defusing a bomb. Gibbs looking up at McGee, Tony, and Lt. Col. Hollis Mann... Gibbs telling them to get away… get out of danger. But they all stayed. "Gibbs is… more of a father to me than my own."

"Uh-huh," Jackson said with a smile. "Because to him… that's his first priority. Kelly… you… even that young woman who happens to be a hugger." Ziva didn't quite recognize what was happening at first. But after a moment or two, she remembered what it felt like to smile… to laugh… Laughing as well, Jackson said, "Family is not just about blood, Ziva. It's about who we let into our lives and our hearts." Standing up and holding out a hand to Ziva, he said, "Now… Jethro and Tony have told me you're a very good cook. What do you say we get everyone fed? Then we can talk some more later if you want."

----

After dinner, Tony offered to get the twins to bed while Kelly went out on the porch with Gibbs and Jackson. When Ziva started to follow, Tony said, "Hey, give me a hand, would you, Ziva?"

Sighing, Ziva helped get Jenny and Kate down for the night and as she stood up, she said, "Tony, I'm fine."

"You sure about that?" Tony asked, quietly.

"Tony, you…" Ziva stopped as she was about to say 'You don't know what it's like' as she remembered being in a hotel room, tied to a chair, her back to Tony's, listening as Tony was tortured.

"I don't know what it's like?" Tony finished, reading Ziva's mind. "You mean… being tortured… or having a lousy dad?"

"Do you…?" Ziva sighed. "Do you ever wonder if… if your father's proud of you?"

Tony led Ziva out of the guest room and said, "Nope." Seeing Ziva's incredulous look Tony smiled. "I stopped caring what my father thought of me years ago, Ziva."

"I wish I could stop caring," Ziva said, a note of longing in her voice. "Just… do what I want…"

"Like what?" Tony asked, wondering what hidden desires Ziva had. "What would Ziva David do if she didn't have to worry about what anyone thought?"

"I…" Ziva was caught off guard by the question and she paused, mulling the question over. She remembered standing in the empty squad room, air-guitaring… one morning, she'd gotten tired of a guy leering at her while she ran and had climbed a tree, waiting until he'd gone before climbing down and heading in the opposite direction. But lately… Ziva smiled as she thought of when she'd taken care of Jenny and Kate. Those little girls who loved the sound of their Aunt Ziva's voice as she sang them to sleep… "I'd have a family," Ziva finally replied. "A couple of kids… and I'd love then unconditionally... And every day tell them how proud I am to be their mother."

Tony smiled as Ziva seemed to lighten up and there was a sparkle in her eyes that had been missing for more than a year now. "I think you'd make a good mom," Tony replied as he and Ziva headed out to the porch to enjoy the last bit of the evening.

----------------

Ziva rose early the following morning and went for a run. It had been a long time since she'd thought about what _she_ wanted but talking last night with Tony, Ziva felt that her partner was right. She'd been working so hard to make her father happy, to fulfill her obligations… to be the perfect daughter her father expected her to be…

Her father didn't care about her. Loyalty to him was something required… demanded…

But Gibbs… Gibbs wanted his agent to make their own choices… their own mistakes…

Eli David believed that when someone made a mistake, they should be removed and the mistake rectified by others.

Gibbs thought you should handle your own mistakes… Fix whatever you did wrong.

Stopping by the local diner, Ziva took a deep breath and instead of finishing her run, decided to just take a leisurely walk the rest of the distance.

----

When Ziva got back from her run, Gibbs noticed that Ziva seemed calmer, more relaxed than he'd seen her in a long time. In the empty kitchen of his old house, Gibbs sipped his coffee and looked at the Mossad officer. "Good run?"

"Yes," Ziva said, pouring herself a glass of orange juice from the fridge. "And I had a nice walk. Did some thinking…"

"About what?" Gibbs asked, finishing his coffee and pouring himself a second cup.

"I know my father will never feel about me the way I wish he would," Ziva replied. "I've accepted that." Looking at Gibbs, she added, "And I know… he'll never be the father you are." Seeing Gibbs' look, Ziva smiled. "I know… you have Kelly, but…" Fighting the tears that were stinging her eyes, Ziva said, "Is there a chance… you could let me be part of your family, too?"

Gibbs set down his coffee mug and set down Ziva's glass before wrapping her in a hug. "Welcome home, Ziva," he said with a smile, happy to have Ziva back in his life.


	19. The Adventures of Kelly and Kate

AUTHOR'S NOTES: I kinda wanted to show the relationship between Kate Todd and Kelly. I included two flushed out scenes from previous chapters as well as part of the episode 'SWAK'. I don't own the song 'Baby Mine' which belongs to Disney. (The version of the song I have is from the CD The Essential Disney Love Song Collection.)

Also in the first part I covered something that I noticed which is that Gibbs has **2** Rule #1's: Never let suspects stay together and Never screw over your partner. So I tried to write it that Gibbs has Professional Rules and Personal Rules and sometimes they mesh.

A note on the 'SWAK' shower scene, I tried very, very hard to write it well since it's such a visual scene. Hope y'all like it.

And please remember to read, review, and show your love!

* * *

NCIS-WSHB: The Adventures of Kelly and Kate

* * *

_**Yankee White**_

In the basement of the house she'd grown up in, Kelly Gibbs stood on one side of a boat frame that filled almost the whole floor, shaving one of the planks just like her father, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, had taught her years ago. Looking across the boat where her father was shaving a plank on the other side, Kelly was about to say something when the phone rang.

Setting her tools down, she went to the phone and picked it up, "Gibbs' residence. Hello, Agent DiNozzo," Kelly said, brightly as she smiled at her father who rolled his eyes before setting his own tools down. "I'd love to go out with you, Agent DiNozzo," Kelly went on as her father started towards her. Holding the phone away from her father, Kelly added, "Sure we can get married!" As Gibbs pulled the phone away and smacked her lightly on the back of the head, Kelly shouted, "I'd love to have kids with you!"

Frowning at Kelly, Gibbs said, "DiNozzo, if you value your life, you will forget that ever happened."

On the other end of the line, Tony DiNozzo chuckled before saying, "How is Gibbs, Jr.? Staying out of trouble?"

"What do you want, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked. After hearing the report, he hung up and headed for the stairs. "Got to go, Kel," Gibbs said, quickly. "Got a case."

"Can I come?" Kelly asked, eagerly. There were benefits to be the daughter of an NCIS team leader after all.

"Not this time," Gibbs said, hurrying up the stairs. Maybe if he didn't look at his little girl he could actually tell her 'no'.

"Why not?" Kelly asked, a few steps behind. If she wasn't allowed to tag along, then it had to be a really juicy case.

Gibbs sighed as he stopped and turned. "Because it's a dead naval commander on Air Force One," Gibbs replied, instantly regretting it when he saw his daughter's eyes light up.

"Oh, Dad! You _have_ to let me come! How often do you get a chance to be on board the _President's_ _plane_?" Kelly said, following her father upstairs. "Come on, Dad! I _swear_ I won't ask for anything else for like… a year. Please? Please, please, please?"

"You don't have clearance," Gibbs protested, knowing he was unlikely to get out of this but some part of him was eager to hear how Kelly would talk him into letting her come along.

"Okay," Kelly admitted. "Good point." After a few moments, she said, "I'll carry your stuff. You can say I'm your assistant or something." When Gibbs gave her a doubtful look, Kelly sighed. "Okay, it's a lame reason but please, Dad. I _know_ you can come up with something."

Gibbs sighed and headed for his bedroom, calling over his shoulder, "Pack a bag. We leave at 1500." Hearing Kelly thank him, Gibbs looked at the picture of Shannon on his dresser… He could just hear his first wife's voice saying _'Jethro, when will you learn to say 'no'?'_ "You were always the one who said 'no', Shannon," Gibbs said to himself with a sad smile. "I never could."

-------------------

Getting to the airport, Agent Tony DiNozzo looked only slightly surprised—and extremely delighted—to see Kelly walking with Gibbs, a backpack slung over her shoulder. "How'd you get clearance for this assignment, Jr.?" Tony asked as he grinned at Kelly and held out a hand. "Let me get that for ya."

"Same way I got you to carry my bag, DiNozzo," Kelly replied, her brown eyes sparkling. "I smiled."

Tony was about to respond to that when he felt Gibbs smack him on the back of the head. "Boss," Tony said, looking away from Kelly. But as she started walking alongside him, Tony whispered to Kelly, "You're evil."

Kelly just smirked at Tony. "I know."

Behind them, Gibbs just grinned.

-------------------------

As Gibbs, Tony, Ducky, and Kelly headed for Air Force One which was parked at the private Wichita County Airfield, Gibbs said, "Kelly, you stick with me or Ducky."

"Yes, sir," Kelly replied, nervously.

Sensing his daughter's trepidation, Gibbs said, "You can stay outside the plane if you want."

"No, I'm coming," Kelly insisted, following the other up the ramp and onto the plane. Once inside the plane, Kelly wanted nothing more than to explore but catching her father's eye, she just stood to the side while Secret Service Agent Caitlin 'Kate' Todd reported on what had happened.

But at the end of the briefing, once the other feds and LEOs deplaned, Kelly could tell Agent Todd was eying her suspiciously. "Little young to be an ME's assistant, aren't you, Miss…?" Agent Todd asked, drawing looks from the other people in the room.

"Gibbs," Kelly said, trying to be calm. "Agent Gibbs is my father," she added, nodding to him.

"Well, field trip is over, kid," Kate said getting ready to escort the young woman off the plane.

"She's not going anywhere," Gibbs said, giving Kate a look that clearly said it wasn't a subject for debate.

"Oh, yes, she is," Kate insisted. "I refuse to allow a civilian with no government clearance to remain on this plane."

Kelly crossed her arms and refused to move as she said, "Agent… Todd, is it? Let me spell this out for you."

Gibbs mentally groaned as he saw Kelly fixing Agent Todd with a look. Gibbs at least knew when to go head to head with other feds. Kelly didn't exactly have that discretion, but she did have more diplomacy than he did

But Kelly wasn't about to be intimidated—not by her father, and certainly not by some secret service agent. "You have a dead naval officer which—regardless of the crime scene location—makes this case NCIS jurisdiction. But I understand that you take your job seriously, and you want to make sure this case doesn't have anything to do with an assassination attempt. But NCIS investigates crime scenes. Secret Service doesn't. So if you want to find out what happened, then I suggest you let us do our jobs."

Kate tried to stare down the younger woman, but she didn't even blink. Sighing, she turned to Gibbs. "Fine. But I am going to be working with you on this." Turning back to Kelly, she said, "And you and I are going to talk."

Kelly glanced over at her father who nodded. "Okay, Agent Todd," Kelly replied, being perfectly agreeable as she followed the Secret Service Agent to a conference area and sat down. "How can I help you?"

"You can start by telling me just what the hell you think you're doing," Kate snapped, angrily.

"I… think I'm here because I know full well that my Dad's not good with interagency cooperation and someone has to keep him from saying something stupid," Kelly replied calmly.

"You think this is funny?" Kate said, leaning on the table. "Unless you forgot to tell me something, you have no clearance to be here in the first place. I don't care whose daughter you are, you are _not _allowed to be on this plane."

"Okay," Kelly admitted, not backing down, but also not going on the defensive. "No, I don't exactly have clearance to be here. I just… it's Air Force One! Just once… I wanted to see how the President travels." Looking at Kate, she asked, "You ever had the chance to fulfill a childhood fantasy?"

"Not exactly," Kate admitted. Trying to remain stern, she said, "You're still going to be in trouble for this, you know?"

Kelly smiled as she leaned back in her chair. "You'd think so, wouldn't you?"

"You've done this before, haven't you?" Kate asked, suspiciously.

Kelly shrugged. "With Leroy Jethro Gibbs as your father, you learn a few things."

"Your father taught you diplomacy, too?" Kate asked, doubtfully.

"Oh, God, no," Kelly laughed. "Dad's terrible at that kind of stuff. But you watch and you learn." Standing up, she said, "You can learn a lot from him, Agent Todd. If you want to."

Kate paced, her temper still high. "Okay. But you are not allowed in the cockpit."

"I'm 20 years old and I still live with my dad in the same house I grew up in," Kelly protested, annoyed. "Do I _look_ like a terrorist?"

"Did Gibbs teach you that attitude?" Kate snapped, angrily.

"No, I developed it on my own," Kelly countered, coolly, as she stood up and headed back to the body, grabbing a pair of gloves from Tony's field kit.

When Kelly handed her a pair of gloves, Kate said, "Uh, my fingerprints are all over this aircraft."

"Rule# 1, Agent Todd," Kelly said as Gibbs joined her. "Always wear—

"—Gloves at a crime scene," Gibbs joined in. "Except… that's rule #2."

"Rule #1 of crime scenes, Dad," Kelly replied as she walked around the body.

"So what's rule #2?" Kate asked, her curiosity piquing.

"You'll get to that," Kelly said with a smile. "That's Dad's job after all."

"What?" Kate asked, starting to be puzzled.

"To teach you the rules," Kelly replied as Tony beckoned her over to the President's office.

-------------------------------------------------

Walking towards her first crime scene as an NCIS agent a week after quitting the Secret Service, Kate could tell that it wouldn't be easy as she heard Gibbs arguing with someone next to a dark SUV.

"What's up with Gibbs?" Kate asked as she walked up to Tony who kept looking nervously over at Gibbs.

"He's… not happy with who discovered the body," Tony said, timidly as he looked over at his boss.

"Well, who did find the body?" Kate asked, as she looked at the dead Marine on top of the SUV nearby.

"The two of you were _WHAT_?!" Gibbs shouted, angrily, making Kate jump.

"Kelly," Tony replied to Kate's question as he went to take care of his crime scene sketches.

"We were out here, enjoying the night," Kelly said, an eye on Kate who was coming over, looking concerned. "David was… getting a little too frisky. I made it clear I didn't want to… you know. The next thing I know…" She shrugged as she pointed at the car.

"Why didn't you tell me you were going out on a date tonight?" Gibbs asked, giving his daughter a look. It was awkward enough when Kelly tagged along to crime scenes, but now that she was an actual witness…

"Because I was hoping to be able to have a _third_ date with the guy," Kelly replied, rolling her eyes.

"You've been out with this guy twice?!" Gibbs snapped. Why the hell was he just hearing about this _now_?

"And this is why I don't tell you when I go on dates anymore!" Kelly shouted, angrily. "God, I can't _wait_ till Maddie and I hear about that apartment," She added, turning away, hands on her hips. There were times when she just could not _stand_ living with her father…

"What apartment?" Gibbs wanted to know.

Kelly crossed her arms, sighed, and turned to face her father again. "Maddie and I… we decided to get an apartment together. And… And Stephanie is helping with the rent."

"When were you going to tell me about this?" Gibbs asked, shocked. It was bad enough that Stephanie kept calling on what would have been their wedding anniversary… Now Gibbs had to find out that his ex-wife was helping his daughter move out of the house?

"Well, not in the middle of an empty lot with a dead Marine lying on the roof of my boyfriend's car, that's for sure!" Kelly said, her temper rising.

"'Boyfriend'?!" Gibbs exclaimed. "You said this was your second date!"

"Caitlin," Ducky said, loudly, ignoring the glares he received from Gibbs and Kelly. As he stood near the car, looking up at the dead Marine, he added, "Could you give me a hand?"

Kate walked away from Kelly and Gibbs and headed towards the medical examiner. "Are they always like this?" Kate asked, looking concerned as she heard them shouting again.

"Sadly, yes," Ducky replied, nodding. "Kelly's mother died when the poor girl was a child. And I'm afraid that since then, Gibbs has become increasingly afraid something will happen to his only child."

"That's no excuse for keeping Kelly from having a life," Kate protested. "She's an adult."

"I agree with you, Caitlin," Ducky nodded. "But you'd be hard pressed to get Gibbs to agree."

Kate sighed, and looked over at Kelly who was storming away. The poor kid could definitely use someone on her side…

--------------------------

_3 Weeks Later_

"Dad, I'm old enough to drive," Kelly said as she faced off with Gibbs in the squad room. It was her 21st birthday and Maddie had decided that the two of them should go clubbing since Kelly was finally 21—Maddie having hit her 21st birthday two months ago. "I'm old enough to get married. To have kids. And now I am _finally_ old enough to drink. I think I can go to a club all by myself." Staring her father in the eye, she added, "And I am way—_way—_too old to need a babysitter!"

"I just want Kate with you in case something happens that you can't handle," Gibbs insisted, not backing down—even though he couldn't help but think of Shannon. Kelly was just as stubborn as her mother sometimes… But unlike Shannon, Kelly could probably take him down in a fight… and had done exactly that on several past occasions.

"Dad, I've known how to fight since I was 5!" Kelly insisted. "I always follow rule # 9. And there's very little I can't deal with."

"This isn't a discussion," Gibbs replied. _'When did my little girl become so grown up?'_ Gibbs asked. "You're not going out without backup."

"Well, why can't Tony go with me?" Kelly asked, looking over at the other agent. "I mean, then I actually have a cover. I can say Tony's my brother."

'_Because I want you safe, not knocked up,'_ Gibbs said to himself. "Look, Kate was with the Secret Service," Gibbs replied. "She's highly skilled at—"

"Okay, what about Abby?" Kelly asked, trying to state her case. "She'd fit in better."

"Abby's not a federal agent," Gibbs replied. Although anyone who messed with Kelly with Abby around probably wouldn't have a chance to live to regret it.

"Gibbs, let me handle this," Kate said, standing up from her desk, as she thought quickly. "Kelly? Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Kelly rolled her eyes and followed the agent over to the side of the stairs. "Look, no offense, but I can take care of myself." Pacing slightly, she said, "Kate, I like you… you're kinda cool, actually… but you just…"

"Kelly, listen…I have no doubts that you can handle yourself," Kate replied. "And look… I know you think I'm going to drag you down. I promise I won't." Seeing Kelly's doubtful expression, she added. "How about lunch, manicures, and pedicures before we go to the club, okay? My treat."

"I guess," Kelly shrugged. Although she really wanted to be happy about it, she didn't want to seem too eager.

"Maybe we could even go shopping afterwards?" Kate added with a smile. She remembered what it was like to be young… to be eager to move away from childhood… And for Kelly it was probably even harder, given Gibbs' attitude. "You can pick out some cool new outfit to wear tonight."

"Sure," Kelly agreed, actually smiling.

As the two women started towards the elevator, Kate added, "You don't mind if I wear my back-up weapon, do you?"

"Sure," Kelly said, grinning. "I always keep a .38 on me anyway."

"Where'd you learn to shoot?" Kate asked, glancing at Gibbs as she and Kelly got in the elevator.

"Oh, here and there," Kelly said, vaguely. "Dad always insisted that I know how to defend myself."

"How long have you been hanging around NCIS?" Kate asked as the elevator headed down to the ground floor.

"Since I was 9," Kelly said, grinning. "By 13 I learned how to run DNA and fingerprints. And by 16 I knew how to process a crime scene."

Kate was impressed by that and said so. "So are you planning on going to FLETC after college?"

"Forensics," Kelly replied as she followed Kate to her car. "Abby said I can be her assistant anytime."

"You don't want to be an NCIS agent?" Kate asked, surprised as they got in the car and headed out of the parking lot. "I'd have thought you'd want to follow in your father's footsteps."

"I'm cool with forensics," Kelly said with a shrug. Looking at Kate, she said, "Thanks for taking my side on this."

"Hey, I was young like you, once," Kate said with a smile. "So what's your favorite part of NCIS?"

"Getting to see my dad," Kelly replied. "When Mom died, it… It was weird between us for a while. When I started getting better after the accident I'd come by and see Dad. And the other agents—and Abby—showed me stuff." After a few moments, she said, "Dad's really all I have left." Looking at Kate, she said, "Take care of him. Okay?"

"I will," Kate promised, meaning it with all her heart. "So… Dress or pants tonight?"

----------------------------

A week after Kelly's birthday, Kate was surprised when Kelly reminded her father that she would be going to New York for a week. "Shopping trip?"

"No," Kelly said, quietly as she worked on her computer.

"Dinner and Broadway shows?" Tony suggested, grinning. "'Course, if you need an escort—Ow!"

Kate had seen Gibbs smack Tony on the back of the head before, but this time, the look on Gibbs face was almost… anger. "Kate, go with Kelly."

"Yes, sir," Kate said, not really wanting to go… but she also didn't want to be smacked on the back of the head like Tony. When Kelly went to pack up, Kate followed suit and once the two were in the elevator, Kate asked the question. "So… What are you going to New York for?"

Kelly didn't reply… didn't say anything on the ride to the apartment… Despite Kate's questions, Kelly was silent until she and Kate were sitting on the plane to New York. Looking at Kelly, Kate sighed. "Does this have something to do with when your mother died?" When Kate didn't receive a reply at first she sighed and turned to look out the window as the plane took off.

"I actually went away to college my first semester," Kelly said, quietly. When Kate looked at her, Kelly went on. "Maddie Tyler—my best friend—we drove up to Michigan to look at some of the colleges."

"You didn't like being so far from home?" Kate asked, not wanting to pry, but still wondering what this had to do with Kelly's trip.

Kelly shook her head. "No, I, uh… I liked it," she said with a smile. "Actually went on a date before…"

"Before…?" Kate asked, but when Kelly gave her a look, Kate's mind started spinning, and her eyes widened as Kate finally understood.

Kelly saw the look of understanding in Kate's eyes and said, "You want to know the truly ironic thing about 9-11?"

"What?" Kate asked, not quite sure what Kelly meant by 'ironic'.

"I was in history class when I saw it on the news," Kelly replied, ruefully. "I'll never forget how quiet the class got… we all just watched the news the entire time…"

Kate put a hand on Kelly's arm and when the younger woman looked at her, Kate said, "I was the one who had to report the news to the President. He was visiting a school at the time… He didn't want to alarm anyone… told me to discreetly tell the teachers before he had to leave."

"Last year…" Kelly went on. "I came down to see everything… And this year…"

"You made it a tradition," Kate concluded.

"It's something… I need to do," Kelly replied, nodding, as she looked out Kate's window at the clouds. "I was so far away, and… I couldn't stop worrying about everyone." When Kelly felt Kate squeeze her hand, Kelly gave her a smile. "Thanks for coming with me, Kate."

"Don't mention it," Kate said, returning the smile. "I know how you feel."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_**SWAK**_

Sitting at her desk, Kelly looked up when she heard Kate coming in to the squad room sounding congested. "Cold or flu?" Kelly asked, looking worried.

"It's just a cold," Kate replied, sitting at her desk and looking up at Gibbs who had just come in holding his usual cup of coffee. "And don't worry; I will sneeze into my tissues." Looking at Tony who was leaning on her desk, she added, "Unlike some people."

"I have allergies, Kate," Tony countered, giving his partner a smirk.

"Never had allergies," Gibbs said as he sat at his own desk. "Never had a cold."

"Never had a cold?" Kate said, slightly doubtful.

"Nope," Gibbs confirmed. "Never had the flu either."

Looking at Tony, Kate frowned slightly. "Why do I believe that?" she whispered conspiratorially.

"If you were a bug, would you attack Gibbs?" Tony replied, _sotto voce_. (A/N: _Sotto voce_ basically means in a soft voice or a whisper.)

Kelly rolled her eyes but when she saw the letter Tony snatched away from McGee, she stood. There was something about the lipstick marks that seemed vaguely familiar…

But before she could say something, Kelly watched Tony slit open the letter and blow, releasing a cloud of white powder into the air. "Tony, what the hell did you just do?!" Kelly said, alarm and fear in her voice as she jumped up and dashed over, grabbing a water bottle and tossing it to Tony.

Gibbs got up on this desk and said, loudly, but calmly, "We've opened a letter with white powder." Pointing to the stairs, he went on, "Use the southeast corridor to the holding room. You all know the drill."

Kelly watched as Tony tried to use the bottle of water to rinse off any powder, trying to stay calm as McGee recited the procedure for biohazards. Heading to the decontamination showers with the others, Kelly fingered the silver horseshoe pendant she wore around her neck. It was the last birthday gift she'd gotten from her mother and Kelly didn't care what she was told. She'd never take it off. It was her good luck charm and surely they could all use some good luck right now.

As the team and Kelly started into the showers after stripping off their clothes and putting them into hazmat bags held by men wearing hazmat suit, one of them stopped Kelly as she got into the shower. "Your necklace, too, Miss Gibbs."

Kelly's hand went protectively to the horseshoe. "No. I-I'll shower with it on. I usually do."

"I'm sorry, but you have to remove it now," the man said and after a few moments, Kelly reached up and undid the clasp. But as she held the necklace over the open bag, she started to feel tears slide down her cheeks as she dropped it in and got into the showers.

As they scrubbed, Tony was bemoaning the loss of his rather expensive wardrobe.

"Oh, boo hoo!" Kelly said, angrily, still feeling the tears in her eyes. "At least all your stuff is replaceable."

"It's just a necklace," Tony replied. "What, was it your favorite or something?"

Kelly couldn't reply because she'd started sobbing as she thought of someone throwing the last birthday gift she'd gotten from her mother in an incinerator.

"You know it might not be anthrax," McGee piped up, trying to lighten the mood. "It could be…. Uh, foot powder, talcum powder…"

"Or honey dust!" Tony said, a little too cheerfully.

"Honey dust?" Kate asked, puzzled.

"Honey dust," Tony repeated. "I give it to girls—Sorry, Kate—women. I give it to women at Christmas time."

"Never heard of honey dust," McGee said, just as confused as Kate.

"That's because your mother raised you to respect women, McGee," Kate said, rolling her eyes at Tony.

"You apply it with a feather," Gibbs said as he scrubbed. He knew how Kelly was feeling and even though she was probably still pissed about losing her necklace, he decided to try and distract her. "It makes a woman's skin feel silky smooth. When kissed, it tastes like honey."

Tony, McGee, Kate, and Kelly all stuck their heads out of the shower to look in Gibbs' direction. "Dad, I will give you $100 if you swear to never tell me how you know that," Kelly said, shivering at the very idea as she rinsed off the soap. There were some things you just don't want to know when it comes to your parents…

----

After showering and changing clothes, all five gathered in Autopsy.

"I thought I wasn't allowed in here," Kelly said as she sat on one of the tables as Jimmy Palmer drew her blood. She didn't want to look at anyone in case they saw the tears in her eyes.

"Autopsy is negative pressured," Ducky explained. "You're here so you don't expose the rest of the building."

"Look, Kelly," Tony said, still not quite sure why Kelly wasn't looking at him. "I'll buy you a new necklace. I've seen that exact one at—"

"Tony, shut up," Kate said, as Kelly sniffed loudly. Going to her, she said, quietly, "It was from your mother, wasn't it?" When Kelly nodded, Kate hesitated for only a second before she hugged the young woman.

"Who opened the letter?" one of the hazmat guys asked as he entered the room.

"He did," Kelly said, angrily, pointing at Tony. "And he probably inhaled, too," Kelly added as Kate sneezed.

"It's a cold," Kate said when the two hazmat guys turned to her. "I had it _before_ I came in today."

"Which makes you even more susceptible to airborne pathogens," Ducky said, also looking concerned. "You should go to hospital, too."

"You, too, Kelly," Gibbs said, looking at his daughter. The last thing he needed was to lose her because of DiNozzo's dumb mistake.

"Dad, I'm fine," Kelly insisted as she hopped off the table.

"Kelly, don't argue with me," Gibbs insisted. "Please," he added after a few moments.

Kelly rolled her eyes and followed Tony, Kate, and the hazmat guys out of autopsy and to the transport van where the rode in silence to Bethesda Naval Hospital. As they headed to the isolation ward, Tony looked at Kelly. "I'm sorry about your necklace. You really liked it, huh?"

"DiNozzo… Shut up," Kelly said, quietly. Lying down on a bed at the far end of the room, Kelly rolled over so her back was facing Tony. Hugging her pillow, Kelly closed her eyes tight. She missed her mother so much… Shannon had always sung her to sleep, even when Kelly insisted she didn't need to be tucked in. And yet, some nights—even as an adult—there were nights Kelly had to imagine her mother singing in order to get to sleep. Thinking of her mom, Kelly's mind brought up her favorite lullaby as a child and Kelly wished it was her mother singing.

'_Baby mine, don't you cry_

_Baby mine, dry your eyes_

_Rest your head close to my heart_

_Never to part_

_Baby of mine'_

Kelly lost count of how many times she'd fallen asleep to that song. She could remember when she'd been about 5 and some of the kids she'd been playing with had been teasing her.

Shannon had pulled her crying daughter into her lap, singing the lullaby and smiling when Kelly smiled and tried to sing along.

'_Little one when you play_

_Don't you mind what they say_

_Let those eyes sparkle and shine_

_Never a tear, baby of mine'_

Looking at Kelly, Kate sighed as she sat down on her bed. She knew Tony had meant well in offering to replace Kelly's necklace, but you couldn't replace something that had a memory like that.

"So what did I do?" Tony asked, looking at Kelly. She was like his little sister and he hated that she was so mad at him.

"Kelly's mother gave her the necklace for her 8th birthday," Kate explained, her tone of voice cool.

"Oh, God," Tony sighed, now mad at himself as he lay down on his own bed. "I didn't know."

"Yeah, I know, Tony," Kate snapped, looking at Kelly. In a softer tone, she said, "I know." Going to Kelly's bed when she heard humming, Kate smiled as she recognized the song as the lullaby from the Disney movie, 'Dumbo'. How many times had Kate watched that movie as a child, crying during the scene when Dumbo visited his mother, locked in a cage? Brushing Kelly's hair from her face as she sat on the edge of the bed, Kate smiled and softly sang,

"From your head to your toes

You're so sweet, goodness knows

You are so precious to me

Cute as can be, baby of mine"

"Mom…?" Kelly murmured, in an almost inaudible whisper.

"Shhh…" Kate said, quietly, stroking Kelly's hair. "Sleep…"

Kelly seemed to relax and once she seemed to be asleep, Kate got up slowly and went to her own bed.

"Kate," Tony whispered.

"What?" Kate said, quietly, and a bit irritably.

Tony smiled and looked at Kelly before looking at Kate. "You'd make a good mom."

Kate was a bit thrown off by the comment, but she smiled. "Thanks, Tony."

----------------------

Surviving the pneumonic plague was certainly a life-changing event, Tony thought as he looked around the jewelry store with Kate.

"Tony, I told you, it's not the same," Kate insisted. "And… should you really be out right now? You look like hell."

"This is more important," Tony insisted as he pulled an evidence bag out of his pocket.

"Where did you get this?" Kate said, alarmed as she snatched the bag out of Tony's hand and studied it. "This is Kelly's necklace!" she said, even more alarmed as she looked at Tony in disbelief. "Tony, this could have--!"

"It's safe," Tony insisted as he snatched the evidence bag back and opened it. "I managed to talk a hazmat buddy of mine into rescuing the necklace before we went into the showers. Abby irradiated it and it's been decontaminated."

"Tony…" Kate said in surprise. "I can't believe you'd do all that."

"Hey, I saw how upset Kelly was," Tony said, a bit hurt at Kate's surprise. "I just thought it was her favorite necklace. I didn't realize…" Turning when he saw someone coming up to the counter. "Hi, I need to get this cleaned and engraved, please," Tony said with a smile.

"Okay," The woman said, eying Tony warily. Was this guy sick or something? She hoped whatever he had wasn't contagious. "What do you want engraved on it?" she asked, looking at the horseshoe necklace.

"'Baby Mine, love Shannon and Kate'," Kate replied as the clerk wrote it down.

"Okay," the woman said, taking the necklace. "I should have it ready in a few days."

"Thanks," Tony said as he and Kate left the store.

-------------------------

Going to the squad room late a few nights after Kate's death, Tony wasn't surprised to find Kelly sitting at Kate's desk. "You okay?" Tony asked, knowing full well that she wasn't.

"Sometimes… when Kate and I would do stuff… I didn't miss my mom so much," Kelly said, sadly, looking at the things still up around the desk.

"Look, I… I know you're still mad at me about… about that necklace," Tony said, quietly.

"I'm sorry… Tony," Kelly said, shaking her head. "I just… it was the last thing Mom gave me before…" Tony dug in his pocket and pulled out a small jewelry box and handed it to Kelly who looked confused. What's this?"

"Open it," Tony said, trying to smile but sad that Kate wasn't there to see Kelly's expression as she opened the box and saw her necklace, clean and sparkling.

"Tony, how did you…?" Pulling it out, Kelly saw the engraving on the back and she felt tears in her eyes as she looked up at Tony. "Thank you."

Holding out his arms, Tony watched Kelly get up and when she stepped closer, he wrapped her in a hug before putting the necklace around her neck. "You're welcome," Tony said as Kelly hugged him.


	20. Merry Christmas

AUTHOR'S NOTES: I'd started basing this on the episode 'Silent Night' But it kinda morphed into a general Christmas chapter. Hopefully it's good anyway.

Chapter 20

Have an NCIS Christmas!

* * *

Kelly loved Christmas. The snow, the lights… the way it always seemed to be a time to be together with friends and family.

Getting to NCIS, Kelly pulled the hood of her coat down as she went through the employee gateway, pulling off her scarf. She was grateful that it hadn't taken her too long to lose the 'baby weight'… especially since she'd had twins.

"Lookin' good, Mom," Bryan Hardaway, one of the security guards, said as he smiled at Kelly.

"Thanks," Kelly said with a smile as she headed up to the squad room elevator. Pulling a Santa hat out of her coat pocket, she jammed it on her head and hefted the huge shopping bag she held as Vance and Ziva got in.

"Nice haul, Agent Gibbs," Vance said, looking at the bag of toys. "How'd you manage that?"

Kelly laughed. She still didn't like Vance but she figured she could put her animosity aside for a few days at least. Pulling a Polaroid photo out of her pocket, Kelly grinned as she handed it to Vance and Ziva.

"You and Maddie did all this?" Ziva said, impressed.

"No, this is my haul," Kelly said, taking the photo back. "Maddie's bringing hers by later."

Getting off the elevator, Kelly stopped when everyone in the room turned and started wolf-whistling and cheering. "Okay, what's…?" But turning to deposit her load at the Toys For Tots station by the windows, Kelly's jaw dropped at she saw cardboard cutouts of herself and Maddie in very skimpy snow elf costumes, smiling. Turning to the room at large, Kelly glared. "Who did this?"

"Merry Christmas!" Tony said, brightly as he came over wearing a Santa hat as well. Seeing Kelly's look, he said, "You don't like it?"

"Where are the girls?" Kelly asked, giving Tony a look that said they'd talk about it later.

"I called Hannah and they're with her today," Tony replied. Last week, Hannah Morgan had been a witness in a case and when she'd met Jen and Kate, she'd fallen in love with the twins, and had even offered to be an on-call babysitter.

"Okay, so do we have a case?" Kelly asked, setting her things at her desk. "Or do we actually get a nice Christmas holiday this year?"

"A detective with Metro PD is on his way up," McGee replied. "Detective Kemp."

"Detective Justin Kemp?" Tony asked as Kelly eyed him warily.

"That's the one," McGee replied.

When Kemp came in, he looked at Gibbs. "Special Agent Gibbs," he said holding out a hand to Jethro Gibbs.

"Oh, you got the wrong Gibbs, Detective," Gibbs said with a smile as he turned to Kelly.

"Special Agent Kelly DiNozzo-Gibbs," Kelly said holding out her hand.

When Kemp shook it, he grinned. "I saw your picture in the paper. I didn't recognize you fully dressed."

Turning to Tony, Kelly snatched the newspaper off his desk before he could hide it. Flipping it open, Kelly's jaw dropped when she saw the article.

"Hey!" Gibbs said, wanting to get back to the case so he didn't start smacking Kemp and Tony. "The case!"

"Dad, I'll leave this to you," Kelly said, glaring at her husband. "I still have shopping to do."

-------------

Walking through the mall, Kelly tried not to be mad at Tony. She knew she should be used to him by now, but… Listening to the music, Kelly tried to push all that out of her mind and concentrate of gift shopping. Abby was relatively easy to shop for… And Kelly had a special gift already lined up for Ziva…

But looking at the kids running around or in line to sit on Santa's lap, Kelly stopped. Kelly had always wanted the same thing for Christmas as a child: her dad to be home and safe.

'_Till I had you I didn't know_

_That I was missing out'_

Now that she was a mother, Kelly was starting to realize all she'd missed out on. Father-daughter dances at school… Going shopping for a Christmas gift for her mother… Kelly sighed as she saw a 5-year-old go running past, holding a shopping bag and grinning. Oh, to go back in time…

'_Give me one more chance to dream again_

_One more chance to feel again_

_Through your young heart_

'_If only for one day_

_Help me to try'_

Kelly smiled as, on a whim, she stood in the line of kids and parents who wanted pictures with Santa. She was too old, but… Maybe this was what she needed to remember the magic Christmas held.

'_Want to see Christmas through your eyes_

_Want everything to be the way it used to be_

_Back to being a child again_

_Thinking the world was mine_

'_I want to see Christmas_

_Christmas through your eyes'_

As Kelly got nearer to the front of the line, she remembered when the snow of the season had first started falling. She'd rushed home and dressed Kate and Jen in their snow outfits and she and Tony had taken the girls outside. At first they had cried when the snowflakes touched their bare cheeks but when a snowflake landed on Jen's nose, she'd started laughing and soon Kate was smiling, reaching out tiny hands to try and grasp the puffy flakes.

The mall Santa looked pleasantly surprised as Kelly walked up and he smiled as she sat on his knee looking a bit embarrassed. "And what do you want for Christmas, young lady?"

"I don't know," Kelly laughed. She hadn't thought about it, really… "I… don't… really want anything."

The Santa smiled. "Oh, there's got to be something. Go on…"

Kelly thought for a while… all the things she'd wanted as a child seemed silly and impossible… She didn't really want anything, but… "It's… It's not for me," Kelly said, looking into the eyes of the man dressed as Santa.

"That's okay," he said, with a nod and a twinkle of the eyes.

"I… I want my dad to find someone who makes him… as happy as I am," Kelly said, quietly.

"New bride?" Santa asked.

"Yeah," Kelly replied, nodding.

"New mom?"

Kelly nodded again.

Santa smiled again. "I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks," Kelly said, sliding off Santa's knee and getting her picture from the photo stand.

----------------------

"I heard Kelly was ready to kill Tony this morning," Abby said when she came up to the squad room to hand out gifts.

Ziva laughed, nodding. "Yes, she wasn't very happy."

"But I found out where she got the idea," McGee said, looking at a copy of an old newspaper article.

Abby and Ziva leaned over McGee's shoulder and Abby read the article out loud. "'Anacostia High School seniors—Kelly Gibbs and Madison Tyler—brought in a record haul in the school's Toys For Tots drive this past Saturday. Dressed as Rockettes, the two teenagers did a song and dance routine to various holiday favorites.'"

They stopped reading when they heard Gibbs clearing his throat. Looking up, Abby said, nervously, "I think I hear my Mass Spec calling." Hurrying out of the room, Abby didn't want to stick around for the backlash that would inevitably follow.

"Did you know about…?" Ziva started to ask, gesturing to the cardboard cutouts that were still next to the windows. Seeing Gibbs, she sighed. "Tony is out at the crime scene. Kelly said she had some shopping left to do."

Gibbs nodded as he looked at the newspaper article. "Tony's taking the lead with this one," Gibbs said heading for the elevator.

Looking at Ziva, McGee frowned. "Something we should know about?"

Ziva shrugged as she went to her desk.

-------------

Getting to Tony and Kelly's apartment, Gibbs wasn't surprised to hear music playing inside. But as he opened the door, he was a little taken aback when he saw Kelly sitting in the living room, the movie 'Spirit, Stallion of the Cimarron' playing on the TV and Kate and Jen sitting on their mother's lap, smiling and laughing at the horses. "Starting them early?"

Kelly leaned back, smiling as her father came up to the back of the sofa. "Don't you have a case?"

"It's nothing Ziva and McGee can't handle," Gibbs replied, watching the movie for a few moments.

Kelly laughed and stood handing Kate to her father before picking up Jen. Once both babies were in their playpen, Kelly turned to her father. "Let me guess… You found my old yearbook from senior year? Or was it the school paper article?"

"I'm not going to ask if you don't want me to," Gibbs said, although he was secretly hoping Kelly would explain.

"The school teams were in competition," Kelly explained as she changed the TV onto a kids' show. "Whoever collected the most toys and money would win a trip to Disney World. Everyone wanted to support the football team… the baseball team… basketball… No one was interested in the swim team." Going into the kitchen and making coffee, Kelly went on. "One of the guys on the team suggested Maddie and I try to collect wearing bikinis."

"And this past weekend?" Gibbs asked as Kelly handed him a mug of black coffee.

"That…" Kelly said, smiling and blushing. "That was… me trying to prove that I was still good looking as a mom." Catching her father's look, Kelly sighed and hopped up on the counter. "Now that I'm a mom sometimes I feel… old. I'm too young to feel old!"

"So if you're old what does that make me?" Gibbs asked with a smile.

"Ancient," Kelly said with a smile which faded slightly when she heard crying from the living room. Hopping down from the counter, she went to the playpen and picked up Jen who was crying. "Hey… what're those tears for? Huh?" After checking that she didn't need changed, Kelly started pacing around the room, jiggling her daughter.

Watching Kelly, Gibbs couldn't help thinking of Shannon… and remembering when his first wife would be walking around the living room trying to get a fussing Kelly to sleep. Picking up Kate, Gibbs felt the child grab a tiny fistful of hair and he carefully extracted his hair from Kate's hand. "You're not old, Kelly," Gibbs said, looking at his only child.

"Thanks, Dad," Kelly said with a smile. "Hey, go deal with your case."

"You sure?" Gibbs asked, as he set Kate down.

"Yeah," Kelly insisted. "Go on…"

Gibbs nodded and headed out of the apartment but when he got back to the squad room he was in for another surprise.

It was strange that she looked younger and her skin had a healthy tan… even her hair looked lighter, more blonde than when she'd left. But Hollis Mann was smiling as she stood next to Gibbs' desk, two shopping bags at her feet. "Good to see you, Jethro."

"Holly," Gibbs said, not bothering to hide his smile. "What are you doing here? Thought you were soaking up the Hawaiian sunshine."

"I was," Holly said with a smile. "And then last week I got a call from Kelly… She wanted me to come up for Christmas."

Gibbs wasn't sure what to make of that and asked, "Did she say why?"

Holly smiled. She had forgotten at how good Gibbs was at avoiding emotions. "She said something about making me an unofficial grandmother."

Gibbs choked for a second on a sip of his coffee and his eyes widened a bit. Not knowing what to say, he just said, "Really?"

"Jethro…" Holly took a moment to sort out what she was going to say. "I know… that you're not one to open up about your feelings." Waiting until Gibbs' eyes met hers, she went on. "That's not why I left. It had nothing to do with us."

"That why did you leave?" Gibbs wanted to know.

"You didn't exactly ask me to stay," Holly said, quietly.

"I'm asking now," Gibbs said, setting down his coffee cup and putting his hands around Holly's waist and pulling her close.

"You're asking what?" Holly said, getting lost in Gibbs' brilliant blue eyes.

"I'm asking you… to stay…" Gibbs replied, ignoring the tiny voice in the back of his mind that always spoke up when he was with Holly. The voice that said _'What about Shannon?'_ "Please?"

----------

"So I get an urgent call on my cell saying that you need my help," Tony said as he came down the basement steps watching Gibbs working on his boat.

"I screwed up," Gibbs said, throwing his tools down on the work bench before leaning against the bench. "I always screw up."

Tony wasn't sure what to say to that and decided to just listen. "Gibbs…?"

Gibbs poured himself a glass of bourbon and said, "Holly's moving back to DC." To Tony's unasked question, he went on. "I asked her to stay."

Again Tony wasn't sure of what to make of that. "And you need my help why?" Tony asked, starting to wonder just how many drinks his boss had consumed. "Boss… you like her, right? So… what did you screw up?" Gibbs didn't reply and Tony sighed as he leaned against the boat frame. "Boss, I want to help but…" Tony trailed off and he started getting a sneaking suspicion. "Gibbs… you didn't ask her…? You just asked her to come back to DC, right?"

"3rd times the charm, right?" Gibbs asked, looking at Tony.

"Okay, if I didn't think you were drunk before…" Tony said, starting to be worried. "Gibbs… You're not getting married again… are you?"

Gibbs sat by the work bench and studied his senior agent, a question suddenly popping into his mind. "How come you've been getting up early with Jen and Kate?"

Tony wasn't sure what had sparked the question but he said, "It's sort of the phrase 'coyote ugly' but in reverse." Seeing that Gibbs was confused by that, Tony explained. "When Kelly's asleep, sometimes she looks so beautiful that the last thing in the world I want to do is wake her." Thinking for a moment, Tony sighed, "Do yourself a favor, Gibbs." When Gibbs gave him a look, Tony sighed. "Be happy. Enjoy the second chance. Sometimes marriage is a good thing."

-------------------

Christmas Eve night, Hannah was happy to take the twins while Kelly went to church for the midnight service. Gibbs and the rest of the team were still trying to solve their current case and as Kelly saw in one of the rear pews, she couldn't help feeling detached. Maybe it was just the season… or maybe it was because all she could think about was tomorrow morning when the girls would get their first Christmas presents… going out and making snow angels…

"Mind if I sit here?"

Kelly looked up, chuckling softly as Hollis Mann sat down. "Colonel."

"I'm technically a civilian now," Holly replied, smiling. "So how are the girls?"

"Sleeping at the same time," Kelly said with a smile as she pulled a few pictures out of her wallet. "Kate's on the right. That's Jen on the left."

"They're beautiful," Holly said with a smile.

"You want to know why I wanted you to be their grandmother," Kelly said to Holly's unasked question. Looking at her father's ex, Kelly said, "If Agent Todd were still here I'd ask her… And if Mom were alive… But they're gone and… you're the only one I'd want my girls to call 'Grandma'."

"Kelly…" Holly wasn't sure what to say. "Your father and I split up because…" Why did they split up? "Jethro is… complicated."

"Mom was his first real love," Kelly explained, nodding in understanding. "And… He's never really gotten over her death." Looking at Holly, she said, "He missed you, Colonel."

"Really?" Holly asked, surprised. "He didn't say anything about it last night when he asked me to stay."

Kelly looked slightly surprised at that. "So you're… moving back here?"

"Well, I'm staying in town for a few weeks," Holly said, dodging the question a bit. "After that…"

"That's great," Kelly said with an almost sincere smile as the Christmas service started.

----------------

Christmas morning, Kelly dressed the twins in their Christmas outfits: Jen wearing green and Kate in red. Seeing that Tony was already up and making coffee, Kelly smiled. "Merry Christmas."

"Sleep well?" Tony asked, sipping his coffee.

"Yeah," Kelly said, pulling her coat on. "Tony… why have you been getting up with the twins?" Catching her husband's look she smiled. "Not that I'm not grateful. But… You're always the first to get up… Which is a little odd considering that you were always saying that you're no good with kids."

"You've got enough to deal with," Tony replied. "Being team leader and everything…"

"Yeah…" Kelly said, thinking. "And… I don't want to be team leader." Smiling at Jen and Kate and then at Tony she went on. "After Christmas I'm going to ask Vance to make Dad team leader again." Looking at the twins again, she said, "I've got other focuses right now."

"I've got something for you," Tony said, holding out a jewelry box.

"I thought we were going to do gifts tonight," Kelly said, opening the box. Her eyes widened as she pulled out a tri-fold locket. There were three pictures: one with Kelly, Shannon, and Gibbs; one with Kate Todd, Jenny Shepard, and Abby; and a third with Tony, McGee, and Ziva. "It's beautiful, Tony." Leaning forward to give him a kiss, she added, "Thank you."

-------------

In the squad room, Ziva's eyes lit up as she opened her Christmas gift from Kelly. It was a set of custom-made Barbie-type dolls that looked like the team. There was a Gibbs doll holding a coffee cup; McGee, holding a miniature copy of _'Rock Hollow'_; Abby, wearing a lab coat, hair in braided pigtails… there was even a model boat that was unfinished to go along with the Gibbs doll.

"Ziva?" Tony asked as she eyed the dolls Ziva held.

"Christmas gift from Kelly," Ziva said, quickly packing her gift up but before she could put the box away, Tony grabbed it from her and took it to his own desk, pulling out the dolls and lining them up. "Tony…" Ziva said, warningly as Tony took out the Ziva doll and the Tony doll and grinned.

Putting on a bad Israeli accent, Tony started playing with the Ziva doll. "Last one to the car is a rotten pancake," Tony said. "Actually, it's a rotten _egg_," the Tony doll replied. Pulling out the Gibbs doll, Tony raised the figure's free hand and smacked the back of the Tony doll's head. "Back to work, DiNozzo," Tony said, imitating Gibbs' voice.

"Good idea," Gibbs said, coming up behind his senior agent and smacking him on the back of the head.

"Uh, it's Ziva's Christmas present, boss," Tony said, throwing the dolls back in the box and pointing to Ziva.

"Uh huh," Gibbs said with a smile as he went to his desk.

"Uh, listen..." Tony said going to Gibbs' desk and leaning forward. "About last night…"

"What about it?" Gibbs asked, looking up at Tony.

"What are you going to do?" Tony asked, curiously.

Gibbs gave the other agent a clear 'It's none of your business' look but Tony didn't look away.

"I know what it's like, boss," Tony said, quietly. "To be afraid to do the right thing."

"Tony…" Gibbs said, looking away.

"I know you loved Shannon…" Tony interjected. "And I know you loved Jenny. And sometimes you can't get everything you want." Waiting until Gibbs met his eyes again. "Sometimes… you just have to work with what you have."

-------------

After wrapping up the case, Gibbs headed to a small cemetery and crouched down next to Shannon's grave before brushing the snow off the grave marker. Even after all these years, he could still feel the butterflies in his stomach when he'd first laid eyes on Shannon… could still remember the twinkle in her eyes when she told him her name… Digging into his pocket, Gibbs pulled out Shannon's wedding band. He'd held onto it for so long… Looking at the grave, Gibbs sighed. "I'm sorry, Shannon… Sorry I…. I was gone so much… I wish you were here…" Fiddling with the ring, he said, "I love Holly. But I can't… be with her… when I really want to be with you." In the space between the stone and the frozen ground, Gibbs wedged the thin gold band before standing up. "I'll always love you, Shannon. But…"

Turning, Gibbs left the cemetery and headed to the house where he found Holly in the basement sanding the boat.

"I always thought… it was betraying Shannon when I was with you," Gibbs said when the former Army Lt. Col. Looked up. Stepping closer, he went on. "I do love you, Holly. I haven't loved anyone so much in… in a long time."

"Jethro, if you don't want me to stay…" Holly said, sadly. "I understand."

"I want you to stay," Gibbs insisted. "You're… beautiful… wonderful… sharp…" Pulling a ring out of his pocket, he looked at it before looking into Holly's hazel eyes. "This was… Shannon's engagement ring." Seeing Holly's expression, he went on. "And… I hope… someday… that you and I can build something as wonderful as what I had with her."

Part of Holly wanted to tell Jethro to stop right there. Not because she didn't want to be with Jethro, but because of the idea of wearing Shannon Gibbs' engagement ring. It was like… like… Holly smiled as she looked into Jethro's brilliantly blue eyes. It was like he was saying that he loved her as much as he'd loved Shannon. "Are you asking…?"

Gibbs laughed. "Oh, you want everything, don't you?"

"What can I say? I'm sort of used to getting my way," Holly said, her heart racing as Gibbs knelt down on one knee and smiled.

"Hollis Mann… Will you marry me?" Gibbs asked, looking into eyes and smiling when she nodded.

Once Jethro slid the ring onto her finger, Holly smiled. "Merry Christmas."

Gibbs laughed again and leaned forward to kiss his fiancée. "Merry Christmas."


	21. Hiatus, Round Two

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Well, it took a while, and it may not be my best chapter, but here it is! The starting flashback scene was inspired by a chapter of pdljmpr6's story 'Between The Lines'.

Chapter Summary: Kelly gets in a bit of a snit about her father getting engaged and runs down to Mexico.

Chapter 21

* * *

_**Hiatus, Round Two**_

_20 Years Ago_

_-_

_The first thought in Gibbs' mind when he found Kelly missing from her bed early the morning of the 27th of December was that she'd probably run over to Maddie Tyler's house to show off what she got for Christmas._

_But when Maddie's mother called saying that Maddie had vanished as well, Gibbs felt a surge of fear and panic and he dashed about the house, searching high and low for any clue as to where Kelly might be._

_In her room, Kelly's snow boots, winter coat, gloves and scarf were missing which only made Gibbs more frantic. Especially when he noticed that her backpack was also gone._

"_Jethro, where could she be?" Shannon asked, worried, as she looked outside at the new snow falling. "She's never run away before."_

"_We'll find her, Shannon," Gibbs promised as he grabbed his boots and coat. _

"_Promise?" Shannon said, scared that her only little girl was outside… alone…_

"_I promise," Gibbs said as he gave her a quick kiss before heading out to the yard. Not finding Kelly in the newly finished treehouse, or at the pond two streets over, Gibbs stopped and looked around. He was looking at this the wrong way. He was thinking like a worried father. But what was Kelly thinking when she'd run away from home?_

_The first place Gibbs tried was the nearby playground but when he saw a young girl in a pink winter coat, his brief hope was dashed when he got closer and realized that it was Maddie. "Maddie?" Gibbs asked, kneeling down in front of her. "What's wrong, honey?"_

"_Can't tell," Maddie mumbled, looking at her shoes. _

"_Maddie, did someone hurt you?" Gibbs asked, gently, as he put his hands on the little girl's shoulders. "Or Kelly?" When Maddie shook her head, Gibbs felt his patience wearing thin. But he took a breath and asked, "Did Kelly run away because she was sad?" Maddie shook her head. "Angry?" Gibbs asked, a sneaking suspicion starting to creep into his mind. Maddie nodded and Gibbs sighed again. "At me?" When Maddie nodded again, Gibbs said, quietly, "Maddie, look at me." When the little girl raised her eyes, he said, "I know you'd never want anything bad to happen to Kelly… Right?"_

_Maddie nodded slowly. "Right."_

"_Okay," Gibbs said, knowing that if he pushed Maddie too hard, she'd never tell him where Kelly was. They were best friends and when you swore a best friend to secrecy, it was almost a crime to break that confidence. "I want to find Kelly so something bad doesn't happen to her. Is she somewhere safe?" Maddie nodded, slowly, which didn't make Gibbs feel much better. To Kelly, being up in a tree was… "Is Kelly at Climber's Point?" Maddie's scared look and the way her lower lip was trembling was answer enough. Hearing sirens coming closer, Gibbs looked up to see two MPs hurrying up followed by Lucas Tyler who quickly swept his daughter up in his arms. _

"_Did you find Kelly?" Lucas asked, looking worried._

"_She's at Climber's Point," Gibbs replied. _

"_We'll come with you, sir," one of the MPs said as he signaled to the other car to move out._

_Gibbs nodded and 5 minutes later, he came to a group of trees clumped tightly together. "Kelly!" Gibbs shouted, looking for any sign of his little—"Ow!" Gibbs exclaimed as something hard, icy, and wet hit him on the back of the head. Looking around, Gibbs didn't see anything and as he brushed wet snow from his hair, he cursed himself for getting Kelly her own camouflage outfit. That, and giving his little girl the nickname of 'Sniper'—one she certainly lived up to._

"_Over here!" One of the MPs shouted as he crouched next to the foot of a tree where there were a few footprints. On the lowest branch, some of the snow had been brushed off. Gibbs nodded and flicked his gaze upwards before signaling that the other two were to continue looking around._

_Starting to climb, Gibbs kept an eye out for movement, but it was hard to concentrate on scaling the snow-covered branches and looking up at the same time. When Gibbs felt a second snowball hit the back of his neck, he found a limb sturdy enough to sit on and looked around. Across from him and about 8 feet up was Kelly who was holding onto the trunk of her tree with one hand, and in the other, she held a third snow missile and was clearly ready to launch. "Kelly, come on."_

"_Go away, Daddy!" Kelly said, angrily._

_Gibbs made sure he was secure in his own tree before he said, "Come on down. Your Mom's worried sick."_

"_Go away!" Kelly repeated, throwing the snowball and hitting her father in the side of the head before climbing higher._

"_Kelly, please!" Gibbs begged. If anything happened to her…_

"_I heard you telling Mommy!" Kelly shouted and Gibbs sighed as his fears were confirmed. She knew he was leaving again._

_Climbing until he could see Kelly again, Gibbs said, "Kelly… Do you remember… when you asked about what marriage is?" _

_In her own tree, Kelly nodded. "When a Mommy and Daddy promise to love each other."_

"_Well… I made a promise to the Marines," Gibbs said, wondering how to best explain patriotic duty to a 7-year-old. "I promised… that I'd help them keep bad people out of our country. I need to go… so other little girls can stay safe with their mommies and daddies."_

_Kelly didn't respond to that. She knew her daddy had to help fight the bad guys. She'd watched enough cartoons to know that one person could make all the difference. But why did it have to be _her_ dad? "Daddy?"_

"_Yeah, Kelly?" Gibbs asked, feeling another promise coming on._

"_You're going to come back… right?" Kelly asked, scared._

"_Kelly…" Gibbs sighed and as he spoke he silently prayed that he wasn't about to tell his little girl the biggest lie in the world. "I will never… ever… break a promise to you." When he saw her eyes widen, he went on. "I _promise_ I'll come back. Okay?" When Kelly nodded, Gibbs was about to try and make his way over to her, but he stopped when she quickly shimmied down the tree. After a few moments, Gibbs smiled when he heard Kelly's voice from the ground, saying, "Daddy, hurry up! I'm hungry! I want pancakes!" Praying that getting out of the tree wouldn't involve the fire department or an ambulance, Gibbs slowly started descending the tree._

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Present Day_

"Come on, you little son of a…" Mike Franks grumbled as worked on his truck. The problem with parking in the sand was that the damn stuff got everywhere and if you weren't careful could help ruin a car engine faster. Looking up when he heard a car coming up the beach, Mike's eyes widened when he saw who was behind the wheel of the Jeep. "What are you doing here, kid?" Mike asked as Kelly got out of the car and started towards him.

"Um…" Kelly brushed her hair out of her eyes. "I…"

"Is Jethro okay?" Mike asked, starting to be a bit worried.

"Dad's…" Kelly started towards the beach and Mike followed her, wondering just what exactly was going on. At the water's edge, Kelly stopped. "He's… He's getting married again."

"And that's a bad thing?" Mike asked, still a bit confused.

Kelly stopped and frowned. "Well… No."

Mike sighed. "You want to go get a beer?"

"How about something stronger?" Kelly said as she started towards her car again.

Mike frowned as he got into the passenger seat and he and Kelly headed out towards the local cantina.

----------------------------------------------------------

Back in Washington, DC, Gibbs was more than a bit distracted. Kelly had disappeared and no one in the tri-state area had seen her. There was only one other time that Kelly had run away and just like back then, Gibbs had a feeling that Kelly had run away because of him.

"Any news on Kelly?" Holly asked as she came down into the basement where Gibbs was working on his boat.

Gibbs set his tools down and shook his head. "McGee and Abby are trying to track her movements… Ziva's helping Tony with the kids…" Pulling out a beer, he looked at Holly who nodded. Handing her a cold one, Gibbs sighed. "Holly… I love you…"

Holly smiled. "I know, Jethro…" Sipping her beer, she sighed. "But Kelly's always your #1, isn't she?"

Gibbs nodded. "Ever since she was a little girl… Every time I'd ship out… I missed Shannon, but… That moment when I'd come home and see Kelly's smiling face… She's the one who always reminded me what I was over there fighting for."

"But where could she have gone?" Holly asked, wondering if somehow all this was her fault.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

"And then… and then Dad t-told me that… he gave her… my mother's engagement ring," Kelly said, feeling rather drunk.

Next to her, Mike sipped his coffee and sighed. He'd ordered one beer while Kelly had ordered shot after shot of bourbon. "If you don't like the woman," Mike asked, curiously. "—then why did you ask her to—"

"I wanted… my kids to have a grandmother," Kelly replied, grabbing Mike's coffee cup and finishing it off in one go. "I like Holly… it's just…" Playing with the coffee mug, Kelly sighed and felt tears in her eyes. "I miss my Mom."

Mike sighed again. "I know, kid." Calling for another cup of coffee, he added, "I never met her… but hearing your father talk about her… She must have been a hell of a woman."

"My favorite bedtime story was the day Mom and Dad met at the train station," Kelly said as the bartender refilled her coffee cup. "When I was a kid… I always wished I could find someone that I loved as much as Dad loved Mom."

Mike thought about that as he lit up a cigarette. "Did you?"

Kelly smiled and nodded. "Yeah… And I love my little girls…" Sighing, she sipped her coffee. "I'm being stupid."

"No, you're not," Mike insisted.

"I'm… 27-years-old… and I'm running away from home… because my Dad's getting remarried… again," Kelly said, frowning. "It's stupid."

"What's stupid..." Mike replied, looking at Kelly. "--Is that you think that any woman is going to take your mother's place in Jethro's heart."

"When did you get so… philosophical?" Kelly said, eyeing the liquor bottles again.

"I know you," Mike insisted as he paid for the drinks and coffee and he and Kelly headed out to Kelly's car. "And I know that you and Jethro are closer than tequila and a shot glass." After helping Kelly into the Jeep Mike waited until she looked at him before saying, "And nothing is ever going to change that."

-------

The next morning, Kelly thought that her head was going to explode. Slowly getting up and getting dressed in Shorts and a sleeveless top, Kelly headed to the kitchen where a cup of coffee and a bottle of aspirin was sitting on the counter.

"Morning," Mike said as he came in from the beach.

"Thank you, Captain States-The-Obvious," Kelly said as she took a couple painkillers.

"Drinking will do that to you," Mike said with a smile, chuckling when Kelly flipped him off. When Kelly sat down at the table, he asked, "So… what are you going to do?"

"I am… going to pout here for a few days… and then I'm going to go home so Dad can smack me on the back of the head," Kelly said as she started making breakfast.

"You really think Jethro's going to smack you for that?" Mike asked, looking puzzled.

Kelly shrugged and after a hasty breakfast, she grabbed her shoes and headed into town and to the nearest café before pulling out her cell phone and calling DC.

----------------------------------------

"Autopsy," Ducky said, cheerfully when he picked up the phone.

"Hey, Ducky," Kelly said, quietly.

"Kelly!" Ducky exclaimed, both happy and relieved. "How are you?"

"Um… Okay… I guess…" Kelly replied, hesitantly.

"Well, where are you?" Ducky asked as he looked at the caller ID.

"Mexico," Kelly replied. "At Mike Franks' place. I-I just… wanted to let you know where I was."

"Kelly…" Ducky said, looking up when he heard Gibbs come into the room. "Why did you leave like that? Your father's been worried about you."

"Dad's there with you, isn't he?" Kelly said, ice in her tone.

Before Ducky could give the phone to Gibbs, Kelly hung up. "Jethro…" Ducky said as Gibbs gave him a look.

"Did she say where she is?" Gibbs demanded.

"Yes," Ducky said, standing up and facing off with Gibbs. "And before you go running off, you need to find out why Kelly just ran off, leaving Tony, you, and her own children behind."

"How the hell am I supposed to do that when Kelly won't even talk to me?" Gibbs asked, angrily. But after a moment, he sighed, remembering when Kelly was a little girl. He was thinking about how _he _felt… not about how Kelly felt.

--

Up in the squad room, McGee saw Gibbs come in and said, "Boss, I found Kelly."

"Where, McGee?" Gibbs asked, locking up his weapon and heading for his agent's desk.

"Baja, Mexico," McGee replied as Gibbs headed for the elevator. Looking at Tony and Ziva, McGee said, "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"That she's with Franks?" Tony said, sadly, looking at his desk.

"Tony…" Ziva said, quietly, as she crossed over to her partner's desk.

"I'll be back in a few hours," Tony said, getting up and heading for the elevator. But once inside, Tony stopped the elevator and sighed. No one really knew Kelly had up and left and that meant that it was something personal. She hadn't told Gibbs anything, so that meant that she was angry at her father… After starting the elevator again, Tony decided to head to Gibbs' house, hoping that maybe he'd find a few answers.

----------

Holly was a bit surprised to see Agent DiNozzo coming down the basement stairs. "What are you doing here?"

"Came to see you," Tony replied as he went to Gibbs' secret stash of beer and pulled out two bottles. Handing one to Holly, he asked, "So… You and Gibbs set a date yet?"

"Next summer," Holly replied, nodding. "Nothing fancy…"

"Nice ring," Tony said, looking at the engagement ring on Holly's finger. After a few moments, he asked, "Bit old… isn't it?"

"What is this?" Holly said with a wry laugh. "An interrogation?"

"That's Shannon's engagement ring, isn't it?" Tony asked, giving Holly a meaningful look.

"Yeah…" Holly said, not sure what Tony was getting at. But after a moment, she let out a long sigh. "Kelly left because of me, didn't she?"

"I think so," Tony replied, sadly.

----------------------------------------------------

Arriving in Mexico, Gibbs wasn't sure where to start, but he figured Mike's house was as good as any to start. After driving down the beach for about 10 minutes, he stopped at the end of the road and parked, getting out of the car and walking down the sand, finding Kelly standing just at the water's edge, fishing.

"Been wondering when you'd get down here, Probie," Mike said as he came off the porch and headed towards his former agent. "I take it you figured out what happened."

"Yeah…" Gibbs said, quietly as he watched Kelly reel in a second bass. After a few moments, he walked down to her. "Hey…"

"If you're going to stay here, grab a pole," Kelly said, coolly.

"Thought you were taking care of dinner," Gibbs said with a smile.

"Catch your own dinner," Kelly snapped as she cast her line out again. After a few moments, she said, "Mom's engagement ring, Dad?"

Gibbs sighed. "Kelly, Shannon is always going to be my first love. But I love Holly, too." After a few moments, he said, "Kelly… If you don't want me to marry Holly… Just tell me."

Pulling in a third fish, Kelly set her fishing pole on the ground and faced off with her father. "I want you to be happy, Dad. I just…" After a while, she said, "I was being a child."

"Yeah… you were," Gibbs agreed. "And I can understand."

"Really?" Kelly said, gathering up her pole and the fish and heading for the cabin. In the kitchen, she lay out newspapers before starting to clean and scale the fish.

"After Diane and Stephanie… I guess I just figured… It wasn't that important to get married again. You had Jen… Then Kate…" Gibbs said, helping Kelly take care of dinner.

"I liked Viv," Kelly said looking at her father. "Did you hear she married that Hollywood TV producer, Bellasario?"

"The two of you keep in touch?" Gibbs asked, curiously.

"We email sometimes," Kelly replied, as she started filleting the fish. "Just… updates, really. I sent her pictures of Jen and Kate… She thinks Jen's got a future as an actress."

Gibbs laughed. "Yeah, that sounds like Viv." Looking at Kelly, he said, "Did I ever tell you Bellasario wanted to use me for information on a show about NCIS?"

"You're kidding!" Kelly said, laughing. "I mean, the FBI, sure…" After a while, she said in a more serious tone, "Dad, I'm sorry about running away. It was…. It was stupid."

"No, I…" Gibbs sighed. "I should have told you I was going to give Holly your mother's ring." When Kelly went to grab a skillet, he added, "When we get back I'm going to get Holly a new ring."

"No, Dad…" Kelly said, in protest. "I-I'm… I'm okay with it… Really…" But when she felt her father's stare, she sighed.

"It's okay, Kelly," Gibbs insisted. "I'm sorry I put you in that situation."

"No, Dad…" Kelly gave a wry laugh. Standing facing her father she raised a hand behind her head. "On three…"

Gibbs laughed and raised his own hand. "One…"

"Two…" Kelly said, smiling.

"Three," They both said at once, smacking themselves on the back of the head.

"Feel better?" Gibbs asked, looking at his daughter.

"Yeah," Kelly said, turning back to the fish which were now frying on the stove.

"Good," Gibbs said, raising his hand again and smacking Kelly on the back of the head.


	22. My Little Girl

AUTHOR'S NOTES: I did this as a background of Gibbs and Kelly when she was a kid. I included some flushed out scenes from previously posted chapters and some new scenes.

The next chapter won't be based on an actual episode but it will have a crossover element with the TV show 'The Pretender'. Also, for future chapters, I'm looking for ideas for flashback scenes of Kelly as a kid.

* * *

NCIS-WSHB: My Little Girl

* * *

Being a new dad wasn't much different than being a Marine, Jethro Gibbs decided as he got up a little after 3 that morning. But unlike the Marines, being a father wasn't likely to result to getting shot.

Hopefully....

Kelly was crying again and even though Gibbs wanted to get some sleep, he hated hearing his newborn baby crying. Ever since holding her that day when she born, all Gibbs wanted was for his little girl to be happy.

Picking Kelly up, Gibbs started pacing around the room, hoping that soon Kelly would stop crying.

After finally rocking her back to sleep, Gibbs headed for the kitchen and started making coffee before splashing cold water on his face to try and wake up more. He was used to getting up before the crack of dawn… So why was this so exhausting? It was hard dealing with a new baby but as Gibbs took his cup of hot black coffee into the nursery, he looked at Kelly, now sleeping soundly in her crib. This small little baby… this… beautiful angel… had him wrapped around her little finger…

When Shannon had told him she was pregnant, Gibbs had been excited at the idea of having a son. Someone he could take fishing, build a tree house with… When the kid got older, Gibbs imagined his son playing football, dating a cheerleader… Wanting to be a Marine like his old man…

But when the nurse handed him his daughter, Gibbs forgot about all of that. All he cared about was this sweet, beautiful little girl with her mother's hair and his nose and brilliantly blue eyes.

"Jethro?" Shannon said as she came into the nursery. "You've been up all night. Go back to bed."

"I'm fine," Gibbs insisted, trying in vain to cover up a yawn before finishing his coffee.

"Liar," Shannon laughed just as Kelly started crying again. When Gibbs gave a tired sigh and went to set his coffee mug down, Shannon put a hand on her husband's arm. "I'll get her. You get some sleep." When Gibbs yawned, Shannon smiled. "It won't be like this for long, Jethro. Soon we'll look back on this and laugh. Just hang in there." With a twinkle in her eye, she added, "Besides… I thought Marines were used to little sleep."

Gibbs shook his head. "Apparently not," he said, quietly as he headed back for the bedroom. But as he lay in bed trying to fall back asleep, he couldn't help but think about how some day… very, very far from now… he'd probably miss this.

----------------------------------

_4 Years Later_

"Daddy… Daddy… Daddy?"

Opening one eye just a bit when he heard a small voice from the foot of the bed, Gibbs hid a smile as he saw Kelly crawling onto the bed and up towards him.

"Jethro…" Shannon said, quietly, her eyes still closed. "Your daughter wants you."

Gibbs closed his eye but a few seconds later tiny fingers lifted his eyelid and Gibbs found himself staring into the face of his little girl who looked less than happy.

"Daddy," Kelly said again, insistently.

"What is it, Sniper?" Gibbs asked, sitting up and pulling Kelly into his lap.

"Do I hafta go to preschool?" Kelly asked, giving her father her best pouty face—the one her father never could resist.

"Yes, you do," Shannon grumbled into her pillow.

"Your mommy has spoken," Gibbs said, as Kelly frowned.

"I don' wanna go!" Kelly said, trying not to cry. Why couldn't she just stay with her dad all day? Why did they always have to be apart from each other?

"Yeah?" Gibbs said, looking at his little girl. "What do you want to do?"

"I wanna be jus' like you, Daddy!" Kelly said, happily. "A Mawine!"

Gibbs laughed as he reached over to his nightstand and pulled out a small case. It had been something he had bought after Kelly had nicked his dog tags. Looking at Kelly, he said, "I don't think it would hurt for you to have one birthday gift early." Opening the case, he pulled out a set of child-size dog tags on a chain.

Kelly opened her mouth to speak, but she could only smile as her father unhooked the chain and put the dog tags around her neck. "I'll never take 'em off, Daddy!" Kelly exclaimed, happily. "Never, never, never!"

"So…" Gibbs said, looking at Kelly who was admiring her dog tags. "Ready for preschool?"

"Guess so," Kelly mumbled, looking sad.

Turning her head slightly, Shannon opened one eye so as to watch her husband and daughter.

"You scared?" Gibbs asked, looking at his little girl. It was hard to think that she was afraid of anything, but… When Kelly slowly nodded, he said, "Well, you know… even Marines get scared some times."

"They do?" Kelly said, her eyes fixed on her father.

"Mmm-hmm," Gibbs nodded. "But they know that you can't let fear stop you. Sometimes you have to face your fears. Even if you don't want to."

Kelly seemed to consider this for a moment before asking, "Daddy? Can _you_ take me?"

Gibbs laughed and started tickling Kelly who started giggling and shrieking with laughter. "You bet, Sniper."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_1 Year Later_

Shannon had left to spend Father's Day with her parents, leaving Gibbs and a 5-year-old Kelly alone for the weekend. Gibbs had just come back on leave and even though Shannon wanted Gibbs and Kelly to go with her, she figured Gibbs and kelly could use the time to themselves.

On Friday morning, Gibbs had been eager to get some sleep, but that idea went out the window when he felt the bed get dive-bombed. Sitting up, Gibbs couldn't be mad at his little girl who had apparently tried to fix her own pigtails. They were extremely messy and lopsides, but that didn't seem to bother Kelly. Laughing, Gibbs pulled Kelly into his lap and said, "Did you do that yourself?"

"Uh-huh!" Kelly exclaimed, brightly. "Do I look as pretty as Mommy?"

"Prettier," Gibbs assured her as he reached up and fixed Kelly's pigtails. "Do you have any idea how early it is?"

"It's…" Kelly frowned as she looked at the clock on the nightstand and raised six fingers. "It's… this early!"

"And how early is that?" Gibbs said, part of him wishing he could go back to sleep.... but also knowing that this was worth the lack of sleep. Every moment he spent with Kelly... it was time he wouldn't trade for anything in the world.

Kelly thought for a moment and finally said, "Zero… six hundred!"

"Good," Gibbs said with a smile as he started tickling Kelly. "So I get to tickle you for 600 seconds!"

"Daddy!" Kelly squealed, laughing as she tried to squirm out of her father's tickle attack.

After a few minutes, Gibbs got up, laughing and after getting dressed headed downstairs to the kitchen to make breakfast. As Kelly sat at the kitchen table, she smiled and asked, "Can we go fishing, Daddy?"

"You bet," Gibbs said, as he made bacon and eggs. "What else do you want to do today?"

"We can do something else, too?!" Kelly asked, the idea more than she could imagine. Usually when she and Gibbs had time together there was just time for one thing,

Gibbs laughed. "We've got all weekend, Kelly. We can do anything you want."

"Can we go to the zoo?" Kelly asked, practically bouncing in her booster seat. "And—And—and—can we have a picnic?" Thinking, she said, "And… can we go on a ship?"

Gibbs turned the stove off and had to grab the counter to keep standing as he laughed harder than he'd had in a while. But while he wasn't looking, Kelly had slid down from her seat and suddenly, Gibbs felt himself crashing to the ground as tiny hands tickled him mercilessly. After a few minutes, Gibbs thought his sides would burst from laughing so hard and he was having trouble breathing. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, Sniper," Gibbs said, breathlessly. "Time out." But Gibbs had to bite his lip to keep from laughing again as he saw Kelly sitting on his chest, arms crossed and frowning. After another minute or two, Gibbs grinned and went to tickle her as he said, quickly, "Okay… time in."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

3 Years Later

Gibbs hadn't intended getting to go on leave a week early and had decided not to tell Shannon before catching a flight home. Shannon and Kelly would be in for a surprise that evening when he came though the door.

The snow was falling when Gibbs got out of his old pick-up truck and after climbing out, he went to the truck bed to grab his gear, pausing when he thought he heard something. Looking around, Gibbs didn't see anything and looking up at the house, he could see Kelly's bedroom light on. Turning back to the truck, Gibbs felt a snowball hit him in the back of the head, making snow and ice-cold water dribble down the back of his neck and down his shirt.

Turning around and setting his stuff down, Gibbs made himself a snowball and slowly scanned the yard. But before he saw anything, he was hit with another snowball from behind.

"Come on out, Sniper," Gibbs said, his bare fingers starting to get numb with cold from holding the snow in his hand.

"Find me, Daddy," Kelly's voice said, gleefully.

Gibbs knew this was part of Kelly's little game when he came home during the winter. She could hide just about anywhere and she could probably aim a snowball better than some Marine snipers. Dropping the snow in his hand and rubbing his hands together, he said, "You wouldn't hit an unarmed man, would you?"

"Yep," Kelly said, popping up from behind the bushes and hitting her father with one last snowball before running at him and tackling him into a snow pile next to the driveway.

Gibbs laughed as his little girl started tickling him and grabbing a handful of snow, he put it down the back of her camouflage jacket, laughing as she tried to stop the icy slush from trickling down her back. "Daddy!" Kelly shrieked.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_A Few Weeks Later_

The first thought in Gibbs' mind when he found Kelly missing from her bed was that she'd probably run over to Maddie Tyler's house to show off what she got for Christmas.

But when Maddie's mother called saying that Maddie had vanished as well, Gibbs felt a surge of fear and panic and he dashed about the house, searching high and low for any clue as to where Kelly might be.

In her room, Kelly's snow boots, winter coat, gloves and scarf were missing which only made Gibbs more frantic. Especially when he noticed that her backpack was also gone.

"Jethro, where could she be?" Shannon asked, worried, as she looked outside at the new snow falling. "She's never run away before."

"We'll find her, Shannon," Gibbs promised as he grabbed his boots and coat.

"Promise?" Shannon said, scared that her only little girl was outside… alone…

"I promise," Gibbs said as he gave her a quick kiss before heading out to the yard. Not finding Kelly in the newly finished treehouse, or at the pond two streets over, Gibbs stopped and looked around. He was looking at this the wrong way. He was thinking like a worried father. But what was Kelly thinking when she'd run away from home?

The first place Gibbs tried was the nearby playground but when he saw a young girl in a pink winter coat, his brief hope was dashed when he got closer and realized that it was Maddie. "Maddie?" Gibbs asked, kneeling down in front of her. "What's wrong, honey?"

"Can't tell," Maddie mumbled, looking at her shoes.

"Maddie, did someone hurt you?" Gibbs asked, gently, as he put his hands on the little girl's shoulders. "Or Kelly?" When Maddie shook her head, Gibbs felt his patience wearing thin. But he took a breath and asked, "Did Kelly run away because she was sad?" Maddie shook her head. "Angry?" Gibbs asked, a sneaking suspicion starting to creep into his mind. Maddie nodded and Gibbs sighed again. "At me?" When Maddie nodded again, Gibbs said, quietly, "Maddie, look at me." When the little girl raised her eyes, he said, "I know you'd never want anything bad to happen to Kelly… Right?"

Maddie nodded slowly. "Right."

"Okay," Gibbs said, knowing that if he pushed Maddie too hard, she'd never tell him where Kelly was. They were best friends and when you swore a best friend to secrecy, it was almost a crime to break that confidence. "I want to find Kelly so something bad doesn't happen to her. Is she somewhere safe?" Maddie nodded, slowly, which didn't make Gibbs feel much better. To Kelly, being up in a tree was… "Is Kelly at Climber's Point?" Maddie's scared look and the way her lower lip was trembling was answer enough. Hearing sirens coming closer, Gibbs looked up to see two MPs hurrying up followed by Lucas Tyler who quickly swept his daughter up in his arms.

"Did you find Kelly?" Lucas asked, looking worried.

"She's at Climber's Point," Gibbs replied.

"We'll come with you, sir," one of the MPs said as he signaled to the other car to move out.

Gibbs nodded and 5 minutes later, he came to a group of trees clumped tightly together. "Kelly!" Gibbs shouted, looking for any sign of his little—"Ow!" Gibbs exclaimed as something hard, icy, and wet hit him on the back of the head. Looking around, Gibbs didn't see anything and as he brushed wet snow from his hair, he cursed himself for getting Kelly her own camouflage outfit. That, and giving his little girl the nickname of 'Sniper'—one she certainly lived up to.

"Over here!" One of the MPs shouted as he crouched next to the foot of a tree where there were a few footprints. On the lowest branch, some of the snow had been brushed off. Gibbs nodded and flicked his gaze upwards before signaling that the other two were to continue looking around.

Starting to climb, Gibbs kept an eye out for movement, but it was hard to concentrate on scaling the snow-covered branches and looking up at the same time. When Gibbs felt a second snowball hit the back of his neck, he found a limb sturdy enough to sit on and looked around. Across from him and about 8 feet up was Kelly who was holding onto the trunk of her tree with one hand, and in the other, she held a third snow missile and was clearly ready to launch. "Kelly, come on."

"Go away, Daddy!" Kelly said, angrily.

Gibbs made sure he was secure in his own tree before he said, "Come on down. Your Mom's worried sick."

"Go away!" Kelly repeated, throwing the snowball and hitting her father in the side of the head before climbing higher.

"Kelly, please!" Gibbs begged. If anything happened to her…

"I heard you telling Mommy!" Kelly shouted and Gibbs sighed as his fears were confirmed. She knew he was leaving again.

Climbing until he could see Kelly again, Gibbs said, "Kelly… Do you remember… when you asked about what marriage is?"

In her own tree, Kelly nodded. "When a Mommy and Daddy promise to love each other."

"Well… I made a promise to the Marines," Gibbs said, wondering how to best explain patriotic duty to a 7-year-old. "I promised… that I'd help them keep bad people out of our country. I need to go… so other little girls can stay safe with their mommies and daddies."

Kelly didn't respond to that. She knew her daddy had to help fight the bad guys. She'd watched enough cartoons to know that one person could make all the difference. But why did it have to be her dad? "Daddy?"

"Yeah, Kelly?" Gibbs asked, feeling another promise coming on.

"You're going to come back… right?" Kelly asked, scared.

"Kelly…" Gibbs sighed and as he spoke he silently prayed that he wasn't about to tell his little girl the biggest lie in the world. "I will never… ever… break a promise to you." When he saw her eyes widen, he went on. "I promise I'll come back. Okay?" When Kelly nodded, Gibbs was about to try and make his way over to her, but he stopped when she quickly shimmied down the tree. After a few moments, Gibbs smiled when he heard Kelly's voice from the ground, saying, "Daddy, hurry up! I'm hungry! I want pancakes!" Praying that getting out of the tree wouldn't involve the fire department or an ambulance, Gibbs slowly started descending the tree.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_5 Months Later_

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"_Please, _Mom?" Kelly asked for the 10th time.

Shannon sighed as she looked at her little girl. For almost a month the two of them had been stuck in the house and after the first week, Kelly had been getting more and more stir crazy.

They had followed Gibbs here to have one last week with him. Shannon hadn't wanted to leave DC but after Kelly had run away, Shannon had decided to give her daughter as much time with her father as possible.

But after Shannon had seen a man killing a Marine, NIS wanted her and Kelly in protective custody.

That had been that start of the problems, Shannon decided as she said 'no' for the 10th time.

"Dad would let me!" Kelly said, angrily, as she stormed to her room, slamming the door.

Shannon sighed and after a few minutes, she went to Kelly's room and knocked on the door. "Kelly…"

"Go away, Mom!" Kelly shouted, angrily.

"Kelly, look…" Shannon said, rubbing her face with one hand.

"This is all your fault!" Kelly shouted, sounding like she was near tears.

When Shannon opened the door, she found Kelly sitting on her bed, back to the door. "Kelly?"

"Go away," Kelly said, quietly.

"Honey, what if…?" Shannon sighed. The NIS agent protecting them could drive them somewhere for half an hour, right? "What if we go to the library and rent a couple of movies?"

"Really?" Kelly asked, not sure whether or not to believe her mother.

"Come on," Shannon coaxed.

----------------------

Kelly woke slowly, her mind foggy from pain and the morphine drip she was on.

"Morning, honey," a nurse said as she came into the room.

"Where's my mom?" Kelly asked. Her leg was hurting and all she could think about was seeing that NIS agent shot in the head… the crash… hearing her mother's voice, screaming…

The nurse gave a sad smile and shook her head. "Don't worry about that right now. Just rest."

--

When Kelly woke up again, she saw her father sitting by the bed. "Daddy?"

"Kelly," Gibbs said with a sigh of relief. Brushing her hair out of her eyes, he asked, "How's my little sniper?"

"My leg hurts," Kelly replied. Looking into her father's eyes she said, "Mommy's dead… isn't she?"

Gibbs nodded slowly, wishing that he could tell her otherwise… wishing that Shannon would come into the room… Leaning forward, he said, "Kelly… I'm so sorry. I should have been here. I should have…"

Kelly tried to sit up but gave a small cry of pain when the movement jostled her leg.

"Here," Gibbs said, helping Kelly sit up and sliding another pillow behind her. "Better?"

Kelly just nodded as silent tears fell down her cheeks. After a few minutes, she said, "Daddy? Don't leave me, okay?"

Gibbs nodded. "I won't leave, Sniper," he said, taking her hand.

"Promise?" Kelly asked. She knew how her daddy felt about promises. And she remembered him swearing that he'd never break a promise to her.

Gibbs nodded, squeezing Kelly's hand. "I promise, Kelly."


	23. 911

AUTHOR'S NOTES: September 11 hits me pretty hard. It was my first year of college. I was far away from all my family and friends. My grandparents lived 30 miles from the PA plane crash. My uncle was supposed to be at the Pentagon that day. I had never felt so alone before in my life. Not having anyone to hold for comfort.... Not knowing what was going on...

And as my way, I've decided to try and deal with my feelings and emotion the best way I know how. By writing. Kelly's experience was very akin to my own. Except, as I said, I didn't have my best friend at college with me. And my parents stayed at home.

Dedicated to those who survived and those who did not. And to anyone who may have felt as alone as I did that day.

"Dear friends who we have lost… souls that have stayed with us in life… guide us now in death. Be our comfort when we're alone. Give us voice when we are afraid to speak. Give us forgiveness when we cannot find it in ourselves. May the ones we love never truly leave us and may we find the blessings they leave us each day. May the grace of those departed save us from ourselves… and protect us from missteps… so that we need not join them before our time."----- Written by me for an earlier chapter of this story.

* * *

Lake Superior State University

_Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan_

_September 11, 2001_

The sky was a perfect blue.

It was a perfect fall day, with only a slight cool breeze heralding the coming season.

Walking to her history class, Kelly Gibbs hadn't paid too much mind to the news in the cafeteria that morning. She was too involved in the novel she'd been reading. Besides, if it had been important, she'd hear more about it later in class.

But in the classroom, someone had turned on the TV and as Kelly took her seat she watched the shots of the airliner crashing into one of the Twin Towers.

The news footage was terrible and it seemed tragic but as the class watched, they saw the footage of the second plane crashing into the second and as she saw the smoke and flames coming from the Twin Towers, Kelly couldn't believe what she was watching. Feeling someone take her hand, Kelly turned to see one of her classmates staring at the TV screen, horror and fear etched on her face, tears silently falling down her cheeks.

Looking at the front of the room, Kelly saw one of the other guys from class—whose father was a New York City Firefighter—trying to hold back tears as he watched the firefighters and paramedics on the scene.

"We've just received word that a third plane has crashed into the Pentagon in Washington, DC," the news anchorwoman said making Kelly gasp quietly. The young woman who held Kelly's hand gave a squeeze and Kelly turned to her, not even aware of leaning over to hug her.

The dead silence continued as the students watched the news reports… heard the news of the plane crash in Pennsylvania. How men and women, knowing that they would likely die, rose up against the terrorists who had hijacked the plane, bringing the aircraft down in a field and saving the lives of those who could have been killed had the plane reached it's intended destination.

As the class time ended, Kelly raced out of the classroom and to her dorm room where Maddie sat on her bed, crying.

"Maddie?" Kelly asked, looking at her best friend who was sitting on her bed, back to the wall, hugging her knees to her chest. Sitting next to Maddie and hugging her, Kelly could tell that it was bad news. "Maddie, what is it?"

"She w-wasn't s-supposed to b-be there!" Maddie sobbed, holding on to her best friend.

"Your mom was at the Pentagon?" Kelly asked. She knew Deanne Tyler sometimes worked there doing intelligence work. When Maddie nodded, Kelly, felt her heart clench. Suddenly, she missed her dad… She missed Dr. Mallard, the NCIS Medical Examiner… Abby Scuito, the new forensic scientist…

And Kelly missed her mother. Her heart ached to feel her mother's arms around her. And yet somehow, Kelly _could_ somehow feel her mother's arms around her and Maddie as the two young women held each other.

----------

It had taken a lot of begging but NCIS Special Agent Jethro Gibbs had managed to pull a few favors and get a helicopter ride up to Lake State.

Arriving at about 3am, he went to Kelly's dorm room, knocking softly on the door. When no one answered, Gibbs tried the door and finding it unlocked, he opened the door and in the light from the hallway, Gibbs saw Kelly and Maddie lying on one of the beds, asleep. Walking into the room before closing the door, Gibbs grabbed a blanket from Kelly's bed and laid it over the two girls before lying down on Kelly's bed. They could all talk in the morning.

----------

Kelly woke up the next morning. Her eyes still felt red from crying all last night. Sitting up and pushing the blanket aside, she was about ready to start crying again when she saw her father sitting on the other bed, holding a coffee cup. Looking at Maddie who was still asleep, Kelly nodded at the door and once outside in the small dorm lobby, Kelly grabbed her father's coffee cup and set it down before throwing her arms around his neck. "I love you, Daddy. I love you!"

"I love you, too, Kelly," Gibbs replied. He'd never been so happy to see his little girl…

"Dad, is it true? Maddie's mom. Was she…?" Kelly sat down when her father nodded, sitting down as well. Standing up and pacing as she hugged herself, Kelly tried not to start crying again. "I just… I kept thinking… if that had been you…"

Gibbs set his coffee cup down and stood, Kelly stepping into his open arms.

As her father hugged her, Kelly felt so safe. She just wanted her father to hold her. She wanted all of this to be a bad dream.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

_September 10, 2013_

"Mommy, what was 9-11?"

The question came out of the blue that evening at Kelly sat with her family having dinner. Looking at her husband, Tony, Kelly took a deep breath before turning to her twin 5-year-old girls, Kate and Jen. "Why do you ask?" Kelly said, wondering where Kate had heard about that.

"Our teacher wants us to make a flag for homework this weekend," Jen replied. "We have to write something about our families on the back."

"In Memory of 9-11," Kate finished. Looking at her parents again, she asked, "What did he mean?"

Kelly pushed her dinner plate away and turned her chair so she was more facing her daughters. "He meant… September 11, 2001. About 7 years before you guys were born." Part of Kelly didn't want to go any further. Caitlin and Jennifer were only 5 for God's sake! But catching a look from Tony and his small nod, Kelly sighed. "I'll make you a deal," she said looking at her little girls. "Tomorrow's Saturday. I'll tell you then."

"Why do we gotta wait till tomorrow?" Jen asked.

"Because I said so," Kelly said, leaving the table and heading for the bedroom. After pacing for a while, she grabbed her car keys and left the house, driving to the house she'd grown up in and parking in the driveway.

In the basement, Kelly stood on the steps, watching her father working on a boat frame. How many times had she seen this sight as a kid? How many hours had she spent down in this basement? And how many times had she…

"Something wrong?" Gibbs asked, looking up.

Kelly descended the stairs but instead of shedding her jacket and picking up a sander, she said, "Kate and Jen's teacher wants them to send letters to the armed forces in memory of 9-11. The girls wanted to know… what that meant."

"What did you tell them?" Gibbs asked, setting his tools down and giving Kelly his full attention.

"I said I'd tell them tomorrow," Kelly replied, sitting by the workbench. "And honestly… I don't even want to tell them then." Looking at her father, she said, "I want them to be happy… To be innocent…"

Gibbs nodded, knowingly. "They'll understand, Kelly."

"They're kids!" Kelly insisted, standing and walking around the boat frame. Leaning on the wood, she asked, "How can they understand something like that? I was 18 and _I_ didn't understand!"

"Kelly…" Gibbs said, quietly, looking at his daughter. "Just talk to them. Jen and Kate are smart. They will understand."

----------------

The following morning, Kelly sat at the kitchen table and when Jen and Kate took their seats along with Tony, Kelly said, "The morning of September 11… 2001… was beautiful. It was sunny… Just… a perfect morning." Looking at her little girls, Kelly went on. "Some very, very bad people took over four airplanes. Two planes crashed into buildings in New York. One crashed into the Pentagon here in Washington. The fourth… was going to hit the White House."

"Where the President lives?" Jen asked in a small voice, her eyes wide.

"Did the plane hit the White House?" Kate asked, her eyes, like Jen's, wide and sad.

"No," Kelly said, trying to keep some of the emotion out of her voice. "Some of the passengers… fought the bad guys. And they… the plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania."

Jen and Kate stared at their mother, trying to think about what she was saying. How could people be that bad? "Mommy?" Jen asked, trying to make sense of this. "Why did those people do that?"

"Because some people… don't like us. They don't believe what we believe," Kelly tried to explain. But looking at the overwhelmed expressions on her daughter's faces, she sighed. "You're not going to understand this right now, honeys. And that's good."

"Why?" Kate asked, confused.

"Because you're not supposed to understand now," Tony said, looking at his little girls.

"Why not?" Jen asked, her confusion echoing her sister's.

"Because right now… you're supposed to be happy little girls," Tony went on. Seeing that Jen and Kate were going to start arguing, he said, "When you're older… you'll understand better."

As Kelly watched Tony and the girls make breakfast, she smiled. Such a wonder to be a child. To hear terrible news and then happily make breakfast. To be able to quickly jump from thought to thought.

This was the gift she gave her children today, Kelly thought as she took a cup of coffee from Tony. Let Kate and Jen be young and ignorant of life's evils for just a little longer. There would be time later for them to know.


	24. Chapter 24

AUTHOR'S NOTES: I'd like to point out that I finished this chapter at 4am. (Thank you, insomnia!) As a result, I've left you with one doozy of a cliffhanger.

Also, this chapter introduces the 'Pretender' crossover aspect which will be expounded in the following chapter. (Any fans of the show will find out just how Jarod has been spending the past 7 years.)

Also, this chapter hits on something in Kelly's past she's never told _anyone_.

Chapter 23

* * *

The air was cold and the ground was covered with snow as Tony, McGee, Ziva, and Gibbs walked through the forest. It was still dark and sunrise was a few hours away, but all four of them were wide awake and alert as they looked around for who hunted them.

"See anything, boss?" Tony whispered as he drew his weapon.

"Not yet," Gibbs said in an almost inaudible whisper as he scanned the trees.

At 5am, Gibbs had received an anonymous phone call saying to gather the team in the NCIS squad room in half an hour. Once assembled, Gibbs found a large box on his desk containing 4 9mm Glocks that had been tagged with bright pink electrical tape and four clips of rubber bullets. Pulling out a note, Gibbs passed out the weapons and the team headed to Rock Creek Park.

--

Perched high in one of the trees, Kelly pulled on night vision goggles and scanned below as she heard faint foot steps. Raising the paintball sniper rifle she held, she took aim and fired.

--

"Ow!" McGee said as he felt a small projectile hit him in the back.

"McGee!" Gibbs exclaimed as he whirled around, gun drawn.

"No, I'm okay, boss," McGee insisted, although his back hurt like hell. Reaching around to where he'd been hit, McGee felt something sticky but when he brought his hand up Ziva pulled out a flashlight and shone it on McGee's hand.

"Paint?" Ziva said, confused. Shining the light around, she said, "What is going on?"

"Ziva!" Tony hissed, pulling his weapon. "Turn that off!"

Ziva looked puzzled but did so and followed Tony who headed to the right. "What are we doing?" she asked, still completely confused.

"Shhh!" Tony said, looking around. To the east he could see the faintest lightening of the sky and looking at the others, he pointed, saying, "Ziva, you go east. Probie, you backtrack and loop around to the north. I'll head west."

"I'll go south," Gibbs said, nodding.

"Just stop and come back if you hit Mexico," Tony said, grinning. Feeling something hit him in the back of the head, he sighed. "Sorry, boss."

"It wasn't me, DiNozzo," Gibbs said, quietly as he looked up. But as he scanned the trees, he felt something hit him in the chest. "Take cover!"

As McGee, Ziva, Tony, and Gibbs ducked behind separate trees, they looked around as more paintball shots were fired.

"Who the Hell is firing?" McGee asked, as he fired a few rounds, blindly.

"Probie, stop it!" Tony shouted.

"Tony, why would whoever give us _rubber_ bullets?" McGee asked. "So if we actually shot whoever's firing at us we wouldn't hurt them."

"McGee's right," Gibbs said, nodding. "But let's keep the shots to a minimum, okay?"

"Agreed," Ziva said, scanning the trees. After a few moments, she lined up a shot and fired two shots and smiled when she heard someone groan. After a few minutes, the sun started to rise more and Ziva could see someone climbing down a sycamore tree.

"I didn't think you'd actually be able to hit me, Officer David," said the sniper as she handed her paintball gun to Gibbs.

"Colonel Mann?" McGee said, surprised.

As Holly removed her night vision goggles and Kevlar hood, she smiled, "Actually, it's just 'Holly' now, Agent McGee."

"Okay, but you're not the only shooter," Tony said, still on alert.

"No, I'm not," Holly replied as she gave Gibbs a kiss. "Kelly's still out here somewhere." Looking at Gibbs with a smirk, she added, "Along with some Marine sniper recruits." Looking around, she pulled out a small flashlight and turned it on, waving it over her head. In the growing light from the sunrise, Gibbs and the others watched 5 others coming out of trees and bushes.

But as the Marines pulled their own Kevlar hoods off, Gibbs saw that none of the others was Kelly. "Where's Kelly?" Gibbs asked, looking around.

"Someone say my name?" Kelly said, barely flinching when everyone drew weapons. Putting her hands up and laughing, she said, "Don't shoot okay?"

----------------

"Where'd you get so good with a sniper rifle?" McGee asked once they were all back in the squad room.

Looking over at her father, Kelly said, "Dad called me his little sniper for years. It was his personal nickname for me." Sitting at her desk, she added, "About 8 years ago, I asked Dad to show me how to shoot like a sniper. Let's just say… I caught on pretty quickly."

"Gear up," Gibbs said as he hung up his desk phone and grabbed his regular weapon and coat.

"What's going on?" Kelly said, as she followed suit, grabbing her backpack.

"Homicide in Coral Hills," Gibbs replied as the others headed out.

-------------

Coral Hills was a small town and when the NCIS team arrived followed by Ducky, the sheriff was already waiting for them.

"Morning, folks," Sheriff Jarod Michaels said with a welcoming smile.

"Sheriff," Gibbs said as he got out of the truck and grabbed his gear. Glancing briefly at the others, he said, "I'm Special Agent Gibbs. This is my daughter, Kelly, Agents McGee and DiNozzo and Officer David. Mind telling us what we've got?"

"Lieutenant Commander Sasha Alexander," Jarod said as he led the group down the road to a motel room. "Came here last Friday." Pointing down the road, he added, "Police station's about half a mile away. I heard screams, a gunshot… ran over here and found her."

Once in the motel room, Kelly froze as she took in the scene. A woman with reddish brown hair was curled in the fetal position on the floor wearing only her bra and panties which had been pulled down to her knees. There were bruises forming on the woman's lower back and sides and both arms. Reflexively, Kelly put a hand to her lower back as she backed out of the room. Flashes of memory hit her like a freight train and she went to the back of the motel, breathing hard.

"It never gets easy seeing things like that," Jarod said as he came around the corner. After a few moments, he studied Kelly who had leaned against the brick building, closing her eyes. "Are you okay?"

"No," Kelly said, quickly, as she straightened up and started pacing anxiously. "No, I-I'm really not."

"You knew Commander Alexander?" Jarod guessed.

"No," Kelly said, as she started to cry. "No, I…" She unconsciously touched her lower back again and said, "I was… I was…"

Jarod sighed as he understood. "You were raped."

"Dad never knew," Kelly said, wiping her eyes. "They never found the guy who did it." Pacing again, she went on. "My best friend found me curled up on the floor, unconscious, underwear… Bruises on my lower back and sides… upper arms…"

"You think the same man who assaulted you killed the Commander," Jarod deduced. When Kelly nodded, he asked, "Do you remember anything about him?"

"Um… Dark hair, maybe…" Kelly said, thinking. She hadn't brought up the memories in years and she felt herself suddenly thrust back in time. The stranger at the club in Detroit, Michigan… She didn't remember drinking anything other than Pepsi… Coming to in the emergency room… "I think he had a tattoo of a… an elk or something?" Closing her eyes again, she said, "I-I-I don't remember."

"It's okay," Jarod said, comfortingly as Kelly wiped her eyes.

"Don't tell my dad, okay?" Kelly asked. "Agent Gibbs. He'd… Dad and Tony—Agent DiNozzo—would go postal if they knew about what happened."

"Agent DiNozzo?" Jarod asked, curiously. "The two of you are close?"

Kelly started slightly and studying the sheriff, she had a strange sense of déjà vu. "He's my husband."

"Kids?" Jarod asked.

"Twins," Kelly replied, wondering why Jarod seemed so damn familiar.

"Ahhh, there you are," Ducky said as he came around the side of the building. Looking at Kelly, he asked, "Are you alright?"

"Fine, Ducky," Kelly said with a somewhat forced smile. "Uh, Sheriff Michaels, this is Dr. Donald Mallard, NCIS's medical examiner."

"How do you do?" Ducky said, shaking Jarod's hand. Looking at Kelly again, he asked, "You're not pregnant again, are you?"

"No. No, nothing… nothing like that, Ducky," Kelly insisted.

"Well, I'm going to take the body back to NCIS," Ducky replied. "Kelly, are you sure you're--?"

"I'm fine," Kelly said, a slight snap in her voice.

-------------------------------

Back at NCIS, Abby was just getting to her lab when the phone rang. "Abby Scuito," she chirped as she picked up her main phone.

"Hey, Abby, it's Kelly."

"What's up?" Abby asked, putting her music on before putting Kelly on speaker phone.

"Need you to run a background check for me," Kelly replied, quietly. "Sheriff in Coral Hills. Jarod Michaels."

Abby scribbled down the info before firing up her computers. "Anything in particular you want me to look for?"

"Just… Something about him seems… off. And familiar."

"You got it," Abby replied, starting the search. "You okay?"

"Fine," came the curt reply.

As Abby hung up, she sighed and after a few moments took a long drink from her first Caff-Pow of the day.

-------

At about 3 in the afternoon, Kelly walked into Abby's lab holding a plastic tub containing the evidence of the motel room murder. "Hey, Abby," Kelly said, quietly at the set the evidence bin on the table in the middle of the open area.

"Okay," Abby said, grabbing Kelly's arm and pulling her over to the computer. "You want the good news, bad news, weird news or… weirder news?"

"Let's start with what the hell you're talking about," Kelly said, confused.

Abby did some fast typing and brought up a picture of a 5-year-old boy. "Look familiar?" Abby asked.

Kelly took a step closer to the monitor and squinted a bit. "There was a… a-an old kidnapping case I studied a couple years ago. It was out of…"

"Michigan," Abby finished, bringing up the case file. "Charlevoix, specifically." Bringing up the child's photo again, she used digital aging software and as Kelly watched, the picture morphed from a child into…

"Sheriff Michaels?" Kelly said, floored. "B-But how…? Abby, what the Hell is going on?"

"I don't know," Abby admitted.

"But why does he look familiar?" Kelly asked, even more confused.

"I'm still looking," Abby assured Kelly who was heading for the door. "You okay?"

"Fine," Kelly assured Abby in a pseudo-cheerful tone.

--

In Autopsy, Ducky had just laid the dead commander out on one of the tables when Kelly came in. "Ahhh, Kelly," Ducky said, looking up. "I've only just begun my preliminary findings."

"Yeah, I… I know what happened, Ducky," Kelly said, looking at the body.

"I know you have Jethro's gut," Ducky said, as he started making notes before cleaning the body. "But…" Pausing to look at Kelly, he was surprised to see her right next to the dead commander. "It's natural to be affected by something like this more upon becoming a parent. But that's not it, is it?" When Kelly didn't say anything, he asked, "Have you ever talked to anyone about it?"

Kelly shook her head and gave a start when Jimmy Palmer came in. "Uh, give us a minute, huh, Jimmy?" Kelly said, quickly.

"Yeah," Palmer said, unsure of what was going on. "I-I'll just go clean and organize the truck."

"Thank you, Mr. Palmer," Ducky said, looking at Kelly.

"How did she die, Ducky?" Kelly asked once Palmer had left the room.

"Are you sure you want to be here for this?" Ducky asked.

"Please," Kelly said in an almost inaudible whisper.

Nodding, Ducky started with the Y-incision and keeping an eye on Kelly began the autopsy.

-------------------------

When Kelly had left the crime scene with Ducky and Palmer, Tony turned to Gibbs and quietly asked, "Is Kelly okay?"

"I don't know, DiNozzo," Gibbs snapped, irritably. "You tell me."

Looking at McGee and Ziva who not-so-discreetly exited the room, Tony sighed. "I just thought you'd know about—"

"Know about what?" Gibbs said, looking at Tony.

"She never told you, did she?" Tony said, looking at Gibbs. When Gibbs looked ready to smack the back of his head, Tony said, "Kelly was raped."

The temperature in the room seemed to plummet 20 degrees as Gibbs took in that information. "What?" he said in disbelief. "When did—?"

"When she and Maddie came back from visiting colleges after high school," Tony replied as he packed up his stuff.

"Why wouldn't she tell me about that?" Gibbs asked, stunned that Tony knew something about Kelly that he didn't.

"Don't know," Tony replied, shouldering his bag. "Maybe you should ask her."

----------------

Back in the squad room, Kelly sat alone with Kate Todd's old sketch pad and a pencil. Closing her eyes, she tried to remember anything. A face, a feature… The person who attacked her had done it again. The pattern of bruises was the same…

"Why didn't you ever tell him?"

Kelly opened her eyes to see Kate standing there. "You mean Dad or Tony?"

"Oh, Tony knows," Kate said, sitting down across from Kelly. "I mean, come on. All these years and you thought he wouldn't find out?"

"He never said anything," Kelly replied, surprised.

"Kelly, you have to tell Gibbs," Kate insisted.

Kelly started to reply but looked up when she heard the elevator. Catching her father's eye, she sighed as she got up and faced him. "Dad, I—"

"Let's go home and talk about it, okay?" Gibbs said before looking at Tony. "Go home. Take care of the girls. Ziva, start running those witness sketches. McGee, work with Abby on evidence."

"You got it, boss," McGee said, heading back to the elevator.

-------

In the basement of her old house, Kelly sat on one of the sawhorses and after a few moments, Gibbs did the same. He didn't say anything, didn't get upset or ask questions. All he did was sit there, waiting for his daughter to confide in him. "Dad, you… you've got a murder to solve," Kelly said, finally.

"Case can wait," Gibbs insisted as Kelly got up and started pacing the basement.

"No, it can't," Kelly insisted. "Dad, the… the man who attacked me… I think he's the one who killed the commander."

Gibbs took that in and sighed as he looked at his little girl. He could never understand why Kelly seemed so distant when she'd come back from her road trip. She hadn't argued with him on anything until she'd left for college which was _very_ out of the ordinary. "Why didn't you tell me?" Gibbs asked, wondering why she'd hid this.

"All those times you told me to be alert… all the self-defense lessons…" Kelly couldn't stop the tears in her eyes as she said, "And I get raped because someone put something in my drink."

"Kelly, it wasn't your fault," Gibbs said, standing and pulling his girl into a hug.

"I just wanted to… to pretend it never happened," Kelly sobbed into her father's shoulder. "But seeing Commander Alexander… That could have been me, Daddy."

Gibbs didn't say anything, but he couldn't help thinking the same thing.

-------------------

It had taken most of the night to run down Sean Murray and when Ziva finally dragged him into interrogation it was nearing 5am.

Even though caffeine was not her norm, Ziva had taken a drink of one of Abby's Caff-Pows a few hours ago and was still feeling the energy.

In the interrogation room, Ziva sat opposite Murray while McGee stood in the corner. "Where were you yesterday morning?" Ziva asked, lobbing an easy question.

"Sleeping," Murray replied, calmly. "Like a _normal_ person."

Ziva gave him a slight smirk and held out a picture. "Do you know her?"

Murray shrugged at the picture of Sasha Alexander. "Went out with her twice. Not my style."

Pulling out a picture of Kelly, Ziva had to hold her temper in check when she saw the lewd smile on Murray's face. "And her?"

"Oh, I remember _her_," Murray replied. "First time in a nightclub, those girls are always more interested in dancing than what's going on." Frowning slightly, he held the picture of Kelly, studying it with interest. "Not her. She kept an eye on her drink all night. Weird."

"Smart," Ziva said with a nod as she took the picture back. "Did you rape her, too?"

"Whoa, whoa!" Murray said, immediately going on the defense. "Who said anything about a rape?" Pointing to the picture of Commander Alexander, he said, "I thought you said she was dead."

"She was sexually assaulted first," McGee replied, looking at Murray with a cool stare. "And then beaten." As Ziva laid the crime scene photos before Murray, McGee gave Murray his best 'Gibbs-stare'.

"Look, man," Murray said, looking at McGee then at Ziva. "I don't even like redheads." Smirking at Ziva, he said, "I like 'em darker."

"Agent McGee, give us a few minutes alone, please," Ziva said, her voice as sweet and smooth as honey. When McGee left the room, Ziva stood and walked behind Murray, putting a hand on the back of his neck and squeezed. "Kelly Gibbs was raped by you. Give me one good reason not to call my boss and tell him what you did to his daughter."

"Okay, okay!" Murray shouted. When Ziva let go he rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm a scout, okay?"

"A scout?" Ziva asked, walking to the other side of the table and sitting down as if nothing had happened.

Murray seemed to be more wary of Ziva as he said, "I… I-I-I match buyers to product. Guy tells me to look out for someone young, a redhead… He was interested in the kid. I told him to find easier pickings. Guess he didn't listen."

"Does he have a name?" Ziva asked, keeping her gaze fixed on Murray.

"Hey, do to me what you want," Murray said, fear in his eyes. "I ain't rolling on him. Dude's… Well, he's scarier than you, for sure."

"Really?" Ziva asked, her tone even but faintly surprised.

"Look, I told you!" Murray insisted, "Dude does his own self-artwork if you get my drift."

"If your friend is so dangerous," Ziva asked, curiously. "—why does he have a tattoo of an elk?"

"Because it's a sick joke!" Murray said, looking disgusted. "It's what got him arrested last time." When Ziva remained silent, he went on. "It's an acronym. It means… 'enjoys little kids'. Guy was busted for kiddie porn but the cops never got him convicted."

--

Behind the two-way mirror, Kelly stood with McGee looking sick. "We've got to find this guy," Kelly insisted. "Before the bastard kills anyone else."

"Abby's working the tattoo and the descriptions," McGee assured her. "We'll find him."

"I remember him," Kelly said, thinking back to that night. Catching McGee's look, she said, "Murray. He was watching me that night. Gave me the creeps."

"Anything else you remember?" McGee asked, gently.

"Um… I was tired; Maddie and I went to our hotel…" Kelly shrugged. "Then I woke up in the emergency room."

----------

Coming in at 7am, Gibbs looked at Ziva and McGee who were asleep at their desks before dropping off his coat. Once downstairs in Abby's lab, Gibbs saw that Abby was asleep on the floor by the computers and Kelly was curled up on the futon in Abby's office, her head resting on Bert the Hippo. On the computer monitor was a mugshot of a man in his early 40's with dark skin, green eyes and a slender build. Setting down his coffee cup, Gibbs looked up the last known address for the guy and after finding it, he hurried out of the lab, completely forgetting his coffee cup.

--

The chime from the elevator brought Abby from a dead sleep and as she got up and stretched, she stopped when she saw the coffee cup on the desk. "Gibbs?"

"No, it's just me," Ducky said as he came into the lab. Looking over to where Kelly was still sleeping, he asked, "How is she?"

"I don't know," Abby replied, distractedly. "Have you seen Gibbs this morning?" Feeling the coffee cup, she was alarmed when she realized that it was cool. Going to her computer, she looked over the file on serial rapist Rocky Caroll. "Get Tony and McGee," Abby said, as she brought up Caroll's address.

"What's wrong?" Ducky asked, concerned at how worried Abby was.

"I think Gibbs went after him," Abby replied, looking at the computer.

-------------------

The trailer park was mostly quiet except for the last unit at the far end of the park. Two men shouted followed by the sounds of a scuffle.

Followed by a series of gunshots.

The other trailer park inhabitants, used to such noises, slept on, ignorant of the happenings and not giving any mind to the two men inside; one of whom lay bleeding, and the other lay dead.

----------------------


	25. Chapter 25

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Okay, show of hands: Who honestly thought I was going to kill off Gibbs? Really. I mean that's like… killing God. No offense to any religious readers.

A few notes on this chapter, specifically on the 'Pretender' crossover aspects. At the end of season 3 Jarod finds out he has a clone who was unnamed in canon but in this story is named Jay. Also, Miss Parker's first name is a mystery but I decided to use the name 'Nadine' which is French-Slavic and means 'hope'.

I know that some readers are wondering when I'm going to write the last couple of episodes of the season on this story and I am trying to get the DVDs from my library network. (It's just the best way to reference the episode. Watching online can be a little hairy.)

Chapter 25

* * *

When Gibbs found Rocky Caroll's trailer, he paused for a brief moment before pounding on the door. "Open up! NCIS!" After hearing someone moving around inside, Gibbs barged in and turned to see Caroll standing at a sink in jeans and a flannel shirt.

"Hey, man," Caroll said, drunkenly. "You can't… you can't just barge in here."

Grabbing the front of the other man's shirt and slammed him against the wall. "The only reason you are still alive is because I didn't know about what you did to my daughter until yesterday."

"Hey, man," Caroll said, the drunken smile still on his face. "I-I-I don't do little kids, okay? I mean… I admire—"

"9 years ago…" Gibbs said, his voice the low, deadly tone he saved for the most heinous of criminals. "Detroit, Michigan."

Caroll actually seemed to think and after a moment, his eyes widened. "Hey, look, I… I didn't do anything, man, I swear. Sean Murray's the one you want, pal. I'm telling ya."

"I am not your pal," Gibbs said, quietly.

"Maybe… I… tried to hook up with her," Caroll admitted, starting to be afraid.

Throwing Caroll against the opposite wall, Gibbs pulled his weapon and said, "How many others? Was Commander Sasha Alexander your victim, too?"

"It's all that kid's fault," Caroll said, standing and staring Gibbs in the eye. Caroll showed no fear now; rather he was confident and ready for a fight. "Before your daughter, I never gave redheads a second thought. Blondes _are_ more fun, by the way. But after her… Oh… You want a little spitfire in the sack, you gotta get that red hair, man. But I guess you already know that. Your kid probably got her red hair from her mama. Am I right?" With a perverted grin, he said, "I even remember your little girl's name…. Kelly."

Gibbs couldn't remember what happened next. One minute he was pointing his gun at Caroll, and the next he was pressing the blade of his knife to Caroll's throat. "I swear on my daughter's life, I'll kill you!" Gibbs shouted, his mind not registering any of his actions. Throwing the rapist-murderer against the wall again, Gibbs aimed a kick to the man's side before stomping on his fingers.

"Yeah, kill me!" Caroll laughed as he slowly got to his feet, grabbing Gibbs' gun before Gibbs could react. "Just try it, old man!" But he wasn't laughing when Gibbs hit him in the face, breaking his nose. "You shouldn't have done that," Caroll said, quietly as he threw himself at Gibbs.

----------------------

"What do we have?" Dr. Neela Munro said as the paramedics came into the emergency room.

"50-year-old male," one of the paramedics said as they took the bleeding man into a trauma room. "Gunshot wounds to the right arm and clavicle. Multiple lacerations and contusions…. Stab wound to the left thigh… Name's Gibbs. He's an agent with NCIS."

"Page surgery and get Dr. Thorton," Neela said quickly. "And contact Agent Gibbs' family." Looking at Gibbs, she checked for pupil reaction before having the nurses remove the man's clothing and going to work.

-------------------

Pacing the surgical waiting room, Kelly wished that her mother was with her… that Jenny or Kate were there…

"Kelly?"

Turning to Holly, Kelly hugged her as she started to cry. "I don't want to lose him!" Kelly sobbed.

"Me neither," Holly replied, holding Kelly. "I love Jethro."

The two sat down and Kelly buried her face in her hand. "This is all my fault."

"What are you talking about?" Holly asked, puzzled.

"I told Dad about what Caroll did to me," Kelly said, looking up. With a wry sigh, she stood and began pacing. "Dad promised he wouldn't do this again."

"Do what?" Holly said, puzzled.

"It… was after Mom died," Kelly said, quietly, as she stopped pacing. "Dad… went after the guy who killed Mom."

"He killed him?" Holly said, surprised and yet not surprised at that news.

"I found out about it a few years later," Kelly went on. "I made him promise he'd never do something like that again."

"Kelly, you're his little girl," Holly said, standing and giving Kelly a look of consolation. "What else could Jethro do but—"

"You don't understand," Kelly said, her voice filled with fear and anger as she started pacing again. "When I was 8 Dad swore that he would _never_ break a promise to me."

"Jethro's strong, Kelly," Holly assured the younger woman. "He'll be just fine."

"Kelly Gibbs?" One of the doctors said as he came into the waiting room.

"Is Dad okay?" Kelly asked, hoping that it wasn't bad news.

"Your father's going to be fine. He's in recovery if you want to see him," the doctor replied, smiling.

Kelly dashed out of the room and headed for the recovery room where Gibbs was still unconscious. As Kelly took her father's hand in hers, she lightly smacked the top of his head before whispering in his ear, "That's for breaking Rule #25."

"What's rule 25?" Holly asked as she joined Kelly.

"'Never break a promise to Kelly'," Kelly replied, pulling a chair over and sitting down to keep an eye on her father.

----------

Down in Gibbs' basement, Tony sat by the workbench, staring at the unfinished boat. As an NCIS agent, he knew that there should be an investigation into the death of Rocky Caroll and that Gibbs should be arrested for murder.

But as a father, Tony couldn't imagine acting any different if someone had sexually assaulted Jen or Kate.

No, Tony thought after a few minutes. He _would_ have acted differently. He would have just kicked the door down and shot the bastard.

Finding Gibbs' supply of bourbon, Tony didn't even bother finding a glass or empty jar. He just opened the bottle and took a long drink.

-------------------

Once Gibbs had been moved to a regular room, and she'd been assured he'd be just fine, Kelly went to NCIS and down to Abby's lab where the goth forensic scientist was waiting with a stack of papers. "What's this?" Kelly asked, looking over the papers. Pulling out a case report, Kelly's eyes widened and she set everything else aside. "I remember this case," she said, looking it over. "Sailor was killed on a destroyer. Intentional gas leak." Reading over the reports, she stopped and looked at Abby. "Navy Commander Jarod Forrester was the one who discovered the truth." Tossing the report down on the desk, Kelly started pacing. "After NCIS found out about the criminal activity, we did a cursory investigation and Dad wrote up the report." After a few moments, she grabbed up the papers. "Come on."

"Where are we going?" Abby said, scribbling a note to Gibbs before grabbing her coat.

"Coral Hills," Kelly said, succinctly.

-------------------

"Jarod?" Nadine Michaels—formerly known as Miss Parker—said as she walked into the kitchen of their home in Coral Hills and sat down at the table opposite her husband. "You're thinking about Zoe, aren't you?"

Jarod nodded, still staring at the photo in his hands. After someone had leaked damning information about the Centre to the FBI, CIA, NSA, and other federal agencies, Jarod had thought he'd finally be able to have a life with Zoe. They'd gotten married, and had even had had a son, Jacob Thomas Michaels.

But four years ago, Zoe's cancer relapsed with a vengeance. And despite a valiant fight, Zoe passed away, leaving Jarod completely brokenhearted and a single father.

After hearing about Jarod's loss from Sydney—her friend, co-worker, and confidant at the Centre—Miss Parker had paid a visit to Jarod who was a deputy in the small town of Coral Hills, Virginia.

Nadine Parker had fallen in love with Jarod's son the first time she saw the 2-year-old boy with Jarod's eyes and Zoe's red, frizzy hair.

Looking up at his second wife, Jarod smiled at her and nodded. "I think she would have liked you," he said, looking at the picture of Zoe holding Jacob after he was born.

"I think I would have liked her, too," Nadine said, putting her hand on Jarod's. "Are your parents coming for dinner tonight?"

"Dad's bringing Jay and Emily over at 7," Jarod nodded. "Mom's coming tomorrow for dinner."

"Work?" Nadine asked, smiling. "The idea of the Centre becoming a children's home…" Laughing, her eyes twinkled as she said, "Mom's probably proud of me."

"But I bet Raines is rolling over in his grave," Jarod replied with a grin.

"Daddy?" Jacob said as he came into the kitchen. "There's two ladies asking for you at the door."

"Go," Nadine said with a smile as she got up from the table as well. "I want to check on Catherine anyway."

At the door, Jarod was surprised to see Kelly and a young woman with black hair and dark makeup. "Kelly," he said, stepping aside to let the two women in. "How can I help you?"

"Who are you, Sherriff?" Kelly asked, bluntly. "Really?"

Jarod sighed and led the two into the kitchen. "Have a seat."

Kelly sat and pulled out the papers she'd brought with her. "Navy Commander Jarod Forrester. Lieutenant Jarod Patton… Army Intelligence… So who are you, _really_?"

"Jarod?" Nadine said, coming in holding her 1-year-old baby girl. "Is everything okay?"

"This is my wife, Nadine," Jarod said as she sat down. Looking at Abby and Kelly, Jarod said, "When I was a child I was taken from my family. I was raised in this place called the Centre."

"The children's home in Delaware?" Abby asked, confused.

"It wasn't always a home for children," Nadine explained. "When I worked there 11 years ago it was a think tank. We… solved problems." Looking at Jarod, she added, "At least that's what I was told."

"The Centre was in the business of playing God," Jarod said, darkly. "They made me perform simulations. Told me it was in the interest of saving lives."

"But really it was a place where innocent lives were lost," Nadine said, sadly. "Because of the people who ran the place, I lost my parents, my baby brother… Jarod lost _his_ brother."

"That still doesn't explain this," Kelly said, gesturing to the papers.

"Jarod is a Pretender," Nadine replied. "A genius who can… step into any position or job he wants to. Engineer, pilot, doctor…"

"After I found out what the Centre was doing with my simulations," Jarod went on. "The people that were being hurt, I escaped. And I've been trying to… right the wrongs I caused by trying to help people who had been hurt, abused, or wronged."

"And it was my duty to catch Jarod," Nadine added. "My father, who ran the Centre at the time, wanted me to bring Jarod back. But once Jarod was out, he… He started to dig for information about his past… and mine."

Kelly leaned back in her chair. "So how did you end up here?"

"My first wife and I moved here about 8 years ago," Jarod replied. "At first I was just a deputy. But when the previous sheriff retired, I took over."

As Nadine and Jarod proceeded to tell Kelly and Abby about life in the Centre, Kelly found it harder and harder to remember who she'd come here in the first place.

"So what happened to the people who used to work at the Centre?" Abby asked, interested. "I wasn't able to find any real information on anyone. Except that the Centre is a home for orphaned, abandoned, and abused children."

"My mother died when I was a little girl," Nadine said, sadly. "She was my whole life and… when she was murdered…"

"I know how it feels," Kelly said, sympathetically. "My mom was killed in a car crash when I was 8. She was murdered, too."

"My father ran the Centre for years," Nadine went on. "Later on, when I led the hunt for Jarod, I found out more about my past, my mother's…"

Getting back to Abby's question, Jarod said, "Sydney—a friend—works at the Centre now as a counselor and psychologist. Another friend, Broots, teaches computer courses."

"Sounds nice," Kelly said with a smile.

"It is… now," Nadine said, sadly. "I just wish it had always been like that."

-------------------


	26. Bete Noire

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Reading through this story while watching the episode 'Kill Ari', I started wondering. And wondering turned into a scene with Kelly being held hostage by Ari.

Enjoy!

* * *

_**Bête Noire**_

Autopsy was still dark and quiet when Kelly entered the room. Ever since her father had declared Autopsy off limits, it had been a place of mystery and wonder to her. Inside the room, secrets would unravel and questions would find answers.

There was a body bag on a slab and Kelly started towards it when suddenly the lights turned on. Whirling around, Kelly saw Ducky coming in with his assistant, Gerald Jackson.

"Kelly," Ducky said in surprise as he hung up his hat and coat. "Does your father know that you're down here?"

"No," Kelly said, quickly, looking over her shoulder at the body bag before turning back to Ducky. "Could I watch?"

Ducky was hesitant. More than hesitant, really. Perhaps it was Gibbs' influence, but something in Ducky's gut was telling him to get Kelly out of the room immediately. And yet… Like a grandfather who could never resist a favorite grandchild, Ducky gave a small smile and nodded. "Very well, Miss Gibbs," He said, being very formal as he handed Kelly scrubs and gloves. Once she'd donned the appropriate cover, he said, "Let's see what we have, shall we?"

Kelly smiled at Ducky and unzipped the bag, freezing when she saw what was inside. "Oh, shit," she whispered as Gerald and Ducky joined her, both of the men putting a hand on her shoulder, pulling her back slightly from the body bag which contained a man who was very clearly alive… and holding a gun with a silencer aimed at Kelly's head.

"Turn off the lights," the man said, quietly as he turned to Gerald. Once Gerald did so and came back, the mystery man asked, "Are the security cameras on?"

"No," Kelly said, trying to keep her voice from shaking as the man got up off the slab. "I-I disconnected it." Seeing the gunman's disbelieving look, she went on. "I'm not… I'm not supposed to be down here."

Looking to Gerald and Ducky, the man said, "How do you alert visitors that you are conducting an infectious autopsy?"

"We hang a rotting corpse in the corridor," Ducky said, calmly.

But while Kelly had expected the gunman to strike Ducky, she was surprised when he smiled. "A sense of humor under duress. An admirable quality, doctor." But then his voice changed, growing cold and heartless. "However, when I ask a question, I want a truthful and immediate answer. So each time you lie… or I suspect you're lying…" He raised the gun and pressed the barrel against Kelly's left shoulder. "I will put a 9mm, hollow-point slug into one of the young lady's ball and socket joints."

Ducky put a hand on Kelly's arm, pulling her back and Gerald stepped in front of Kelly. "If you harm her, you'll wish you hadn't been alive in that body bag," Ducky said, his voice full of calm promise.

"She is your niece or granddaughter?" the man said, smiling coldly. "I will ask again. How do you alert people to infectious autopsies?"

"A lit, red sign in the corridor," Ducky said, simply.

"Gerald, the sign, please," the gunman said, calmly. While Gerald turned the warning sign on and locked the doors, Kelly withdrew to Ducky's desk, sitting down and watching the man closely, making a mental list of all the details she could think of as he spoke with Ducky and Gerald. Height, weight, hair, eyes, facial features… and the accent. Middle East… Cultured… elegant… Israeli, perhaps. And yet there was the smoothness of Ducky's English accent.

"Am I boring you… Miss Gibbs?" the gunman said, making Kelly jump.

"No," Kelly said, standing and straightening up, looking the gunman in the eye, trying to seem braver than she really felt. "But your business… whatever it is—is with Ducky and Gerald."

"Then why are you down here if you have no interest in the dead?" the gunman said.

Kelly caught a glimpse of Gerald and Ducky bent over another body, both too far away if the gunman decided to make good on his promise to shoot her. "I'm not supposed to be in here," she said, honestly. "But…" Trying to think of some lie she could spin as truth, Kelly's mind finally landed on her mother. "My mother was killed when I was a child. I was in the hospital when she was buried. I never had a chance to say good-bye."

"And so you are drawn to the dead," the gunman deduced, smiling. Turning to Ducky who had stopped in his examinations of the real dead body across the room, he said, "Fear not, Doctor."

"I'm not afraid for me," Ducky said, walking over to them.

"You think me so heartless that I would shoot a child in front of a parent?" the gunman asked, smiling softly. "That would be suicide. The wrath of a parent who has seen the murder of their child is something to be feared indeed. I am not so stupid." Eying Kelly, he said, "But there is something you can do for me." When he was sure he had Kelly's full and undivided attention, he went on. "Call your forensics lab and have them bring down all the evidence from this man's case," he said, indicating the dead terrorist on the slab.

Kelly dialed and waited until Abby picked up. "Hey, Ducky," Abby said, brightly.

"Abby, it's me," Kelly said over the speakerphone. "Turn the music down, okay?"

"I thought Gibbs said you're forbidden to be in autopsy," Abby said, a bit confused. "What's going on?"

"I wanted to talk to Ducky about…" Kelly eyed the gunman before going on. "I had that nightmare again. The one after Mom died. Anyway, Ducky needs all the evidence Gerald brought you last night."

"Kelly, you know I'm scared of autopsy," Abby said, her voice panicky. "I mean I can't even push the button to go down anymore. After that nightmare I had just the thought of--"

"Then get Dad or Kate," Kelly said, feeling flustered. "Abby, it's important. Just… have them leave the evidence outside. Ducky thinks the body might be infectious." When she hung up, she turned to look at the gunman.

"Who's Kate?" the gunman asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

----------

Standing outside Autopsy, Kate took a deep breath. A few minutes ago, Abby relayed the message from Kelly, along with a hidden warning. After Kelly's mother had been killed, Gibbs' daughter had started having nightmares of being autopsied, looking down at her body while her father stood nearby, next to the body of her mother.

Abby had had a similar nightmare a few months ago.

Before leaving the squad room, Kate had removed her gun holster, tucking her Sig Saur into the back waistband of her pants before getting on the elevator. Standing in front of the doors, Kate saw Kelly standing there. "You okay?" Kate asked, looking for signs that Kelly was injured.

"I'm fine," Kelly said, nodding with a smile. Looking at the box of evidence, she said, "Just leave it. I'll have ducky sign for it later." Raising her left hand and placing it over her heart, she signed four letters and said, "Tell Abby I said 'Hi'."

Kate set the box down and nodded. "Will do."

Stepping back from the door and crossing the room when she saw the gunman signal her, Kelly was suddenly surprised then the doors opened and the man stepped outside Autopsy, pointing his weapon at Kate. "Pick up the box and bring it inside… Agent Caitlin Todd."

Once inside with the doors locked again, Kate was frisked while the gunman said to Kelly, "You tried to signal Agent Todd, didn't you?"

"It was more like relaying a message," Kelly corrected. While she knew full well the ramifications of breaking the terrorist's rules, Kelly was tired of playing this game. But she had a few tricks up her sleeve and she knew that if this psycho valued honesty and directness as much as he claimed, perhaps she could throw him off a bit. "It was American Sign Language," she went on. The best way to distract a hostage taker was to get them talking about themselves but next best thing was to give them information. "Abby's parents were deaf. She taught me."

"For what purpose?" the gunman asked as Kate joined Ducky and Gerald, all three of whom were eyeing Kelly in disbelief.

"A way to talk without other people knowing what we were saying," Kelly replied.

"And how is it you are not wearing a visitor's pass?" The gunman asked, quietly.

"NCIS Security knows me," Kelly said, simply. "I've been hanging around since I was about 9."

"I see," the gunman said, interested. "Now…" Pointing his gun at Kelly, he was intrigued to say the least. She had tried to trick him, knowing the consequences. And unlike when she'd first seen him, she was no longer afraid of him. "Since Caitlin is new to the situation, please inform her of my rules."

"If we lie or he suspects we're lying," Kelly said, with more calm than she felt. "He'll put a round in my shoulder, hip, or ankle." Looking at the gunman, she said, "Ball and socket joints, correct?"

"Very good, Miss Gibbs," the gunman said with a smile.

"If you hurt her, I will kill you with my bare hands," Kate said, her voice trembling ever so slightly.

When the gunman turned to Kate, Kelly swiftly pulled the knife she had at her waist and took a swipe at the man's arm. As he turned towards her, Gerald leapt up from the floor, going to take a swing at the terrorist who swiftly shot him in the left shoulder. Turning to Kelly, the gunman said, "That was daring, Miss Gibbs… Foolish, but daring." Grabbing the hand that held the knife, the gunman pressed until Kelly dropped the knife.

"You bastard!" Kate said, angrily as she helped Ducky get Gerald onto one of the slabs.

"Such an intelligent young woman and that is all you can say?" the gunman said, as Kate ran to get Ducky's medical bag. Looking at the long gash on his arm, the gunman looked at Kelly. "I should have shot you for that."

Despite the circumstances, Kelly grabbed a towel and tossed it at the man. "To stop the bleeding."

"I'm sure to need a few stitches as well," the gunman said with a glance to his wound followed by a look to Ducky.

Kelly looked from Ducky and Kate who were attending to Gerald to the gunman. "Sit down."

"You are telling _me_ what to do?" the gunman asked, amused. After a moment, however, he did as bid.

Kelly pulled on gloves and dug into Ducky's medical bag for a moment before pulling out stitching supplies and walking over to the gunman. "Anything for pain?" Looking at the gunman, her eyes were like ice. "Or do you think it would dull your senses?"

"There's lidocaine in the bag!" Ducky said as he managed to stop Gerald's wound from bleeding.

"Right," Kelly nodded, finding the local anesthetic and filling a syringe.

"Are you sure you know what you are doing?" the gunman asked, warily. Although Kelly could also detect just a flicker of fear in his voice.

"That depends," Kelly said, giving the gunman the shot before looking at Ducky.

"On what?" the gunman asked, seeing Ducky give Kelly a nod of confidence.

"On how good a teacher Ducky is," Kelly replied, threading a needle and going to work.

-------------------

Up in MTAC, Gibbs was fighting two strong inclinations. One was anger that Kelly had directly disobeyed him and gone into Autopsy.

The other was fear.

Complete, cold, overwhelming fear that something would happen to his daughter.

They needed eyes in autopsy. As DiNozzo reported that Kelly wasn't in visual range, Gibbs felt his gut churn.

Kelly was down there because of him. Because he wouldn't let Kelly go into Autopsy. The cameras had been disconnected, not shot… That meant that Kelly had deliberately unhooked the wires so she wouldn't be caught.

Going down to Abby's lab, Gibbs saw Abby just finishing drilling a hole in the floor to feed a camera down through. Getting a visual on the room, Gibbs saw Kate and Ducky tending to Gerald whose shoulder was bandaged and immobilized. "Where's Kelly?" Gibbs asked as the camera swiveled around.

"There," Abby pointed, seeing Kelly bandaging the gunman's upper arm.

"Feed this into MTAC," Gibbs said, as the gunman stood, walking around the room. After a moment, however, he stopped and turned to the direction of the camera and fired a shot, killing the feed. "Guess he knows we're onto him," he said, with more calm than he felt.

-------------------------

Down in Autopsy, the gunman collected the evidence into a duffel bags and directed Kate and Ducky to put the dead terrorist in a body bag after changing out of the scrubs. Looking at Kelly with a charming smile he said, "You should consider becoming a doctor, Miss Gibbs."

"I've always been attracted to the idea of being a Marine sniper," Kelly replied, her tone making it clear that she wouldn't mind using this terrorist bastard for target practice.

"Stubborn to the last," the gunman said, still smiling. "Such passion and fire. I will miss you, Miss Gibbs."

"Next time I attack you," Kelly promised. "I _won't_ miss you."

The gunman eyed her and as he spoke with the HRT over the speakerphone, Kelly finally realized who the gunman reminded her of: Hannibal Lector. Someone very suave and charming, harming the innocent only when absolutely necessary. Once finished with the call, the man raised his 9mm and seemed pleased when Kelly didn't even flinch. "I do sorely regret this," he said, sadly. "But you seem like the type to go… I believe the phrase is 'kicking and screaming'. And I can't have you alerting your rescuers before I have a chance to escape."

With a swift motion, he hit Kelly on the side of the head and when she fell to the floor, Kate grabbed a scalpel and glared at the gunman. "She will be fine, Caitlin," the gunman said, calmly. "Now… we have work to do if we're all to survive this day."

-------------

Once Ducky, Kelly, Kate, and Gerald had been safely tucked away, Ari Haswari waited.

And as he waited, he thought. What had seemed like a simple mission had turned into so much more.

And Ari thought about Caitlin Todd and Kelly Gibbs. Kate was fiery, but cautious.

But Kelly… She was far more dangerous. And she was far more intriguing. Swift and deadly, like a tiger. Protected like a child, but clearly capable of taking care of herself.

Hidden in the shadows, Ari watched the elevator doors open and an older man stepped out, holding an evidence bin.

When Gibbs entered Autopsy, he looked around, taking in his surroundings, letting his eyes adjust to the dark. Gerald lay unconscious on a slab but was still breathing.

But there was no sign of Kate, Ducky, or Kelly.

As the doors slid closed, Gibbs heard a voice coming from the darkest corner of the room. "You're older than I expected."

As a man stepped into the dim light, Gibbs asked, "Where are the other hostages?"

"You mean where is your daughter, Agent Gibbs." Ari asked, training his 9mm on Gibbs. "Box on the floor, hands on top of your head. Then you turn around and walk back to the door."

"Not without Gerald," Gibbs said, firmly, as he walked towards the wounded ME's assistant. "And not without Kelly."

But Ari wasn't about to be intimidated. "None of the hostages will leave here at all unless you put the box on the floor, put your hands on your head, turn around…"

"And walk back to the door," Gibbs said, following the order. As he did so, he said, "Older doesn't mean deaf." Facing the door, he asked, "You want to get out of here alive?"

"I'm sure Gerald does," Ari said, quietly. Gibbs was very much like his daughter. Confident… unwilling to follow orders blindly. Both liked to assert control, even when they had none.

"Think you do, too," Gibbs went on. Slowly reaching his left hand into the evidence bin on the table by the door, he said, "That's why, very slowly now, I'm going to reach into this box and take out of here what you want."

But when Ari saw Gibbs pull the bottle of nasal spray, he knew that he'd been tricked. When Gibbs reported that the real virus was on it's way to the Center for Disease Control, Ari felt fear for the second time that day when he saw the cold look in Gibbs' eyes as the older man said, "Want to talk about whether you live or die?"

"I'd rather talk about Kelly," Ari said, calmly. "Such a beautiful young woman. Gerald took a bullet for her. And Dr. Mallard and Caitlin both seemed eager to die for her." Pulling out a gun clip, Ari asked, "Would you like a free shot at me?" Tossing the clip across the floor towards Gibbs, he said, "Agent Todd's Sig Saur is in the box to your left. The clip is from the Sig Saur. Untampered, all live rounds."

Gibbs slowly picked up the gun and loaded the clip, sensing a trap. "Why?" Gibbs asked.

"Why not?" Ari asked, wondering if Gibbs had the guts his daughter did.

Whirling around, Gibbs double-tapped Ari in the chest as Ari fired a shot at Gibbs and Ari fell to the floor, his chest hurting like hell even though the bullet-proof vest stopped the bullets. Setting off a gas and flash canister, Ari was able to slip out while the Hostage Rescue Team charged in.

--

"Boss? Boss! Hey, boss!"

As Gibbs's head stopped pounding and he sat up, he saw DiNozzo pressing a towel to the wound in his shoulder.

As Tony reported, Gibbs looked up when the EMTs came in. "Kelly?"

"She's fine," Tony said, quietly. "Bump on the head, but she'll be fine."

Slowly getting to his feet, Gibbs asked, "Where is she?"

Across the room, Kelly leaned against the body cooler as one of the EMTs finished looking her over. When she saw her father coming towards her, Kelly looked away but as she saw Gerald being taken out on a gurney and Kate and Ducky leaving the room, Kelly knew what was coming. Slowly, she looked up but when she met her father's gaze there was only the smallest trace of anger. Mostly, there was disappointment. And when Kelly gave a nod of 'I'm alright, Dad', Gibbs didn't respond, but instead allowed himself to be escorted out of autopsy.

----------

After everyone had left Autopsy, Kelly went to the squad room and sat in her father's chair. She was furious with herself, guilty that Gerald had been hurt because of her…

But the look in her father's eyes burned more than anything else. It was more than disappointment. It was a loss of trust. Something had broken between them.

And as Kelly sat at the desk long into the night, she wondered how to fix it.


	27. Truth or Consequences

AUTHOR'S NOTES: The chapter that will cover the end of season 6 is still in the works because I'm trying to write the best balance between Kelly's issues and Ziva's and it's hard. I know there's some stuff that will be a bit confusing, but hopefully next chapter will clear things up.

As far as this chapter, there's aspect that just came to me out of the blue which was inspired by two things. The first is the part of the episode when Tony's trying not to talk about Kate. At first I thought about trying to explain why, but reading one of my favorite books 'The Lost Recipe for Happiness' I thought, what if Kate Todd was haunting Tony at the time?

Chapter 27 Truth or Consequences

* * *

It was the weird thing about regrets, Tony thought to himself. Most of the time you don't regret the small things like having the extra drink with lunch or getting the soup instead of the salad. It was the big things. Not taking a job offer… getting your best friend who is also your girlfriend knocked up. Or, for instance, getting captured by Somalian terrorists when you have the spirit of your former co-worker haunting you for all eternity.

At first, when Tony had been tied up, it was nice hearing Kate's voice helping him remember why he was doing this. Why he was risking his life to save Ziva's.

But after a few days it was really starting to annoy the crap out of him.

"You couldn't just die," Tony said as quietly as he could to the woman standing behind him. "You could have moved on after Ari was killed but _no_," he added, drawing out the last word. "You had to continue to haunt us every single day."

"Actually, DiNozzo," Kate Todd said, smiling as she walked around the room, looking at Tony and then at the two bodies—both still breathing—on the floor. "I mostly haunt Abby's lab and pop in on Kelly every once in a while. But when I heard what you were going to do I figured that you might need someone to keep an eye on you."

When the door opened and Saleem Uman entered the room, he seemed to be puzzled that Tony was muttering to himself but he quickly shrugged it off and placed a chair in front of Tony, sitting down before the NCIS agent. "Who are you?" Saleem asked, his eyes cold.

As the truth serum cocktail worked its way through Tony's body, he tried to fight the effects but the more he resisted, the more he was unconsciously compelled to reply. "I'm very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service."

"You know, a few months ago I had not even _heard_ of NCIS," Saleem said is a conversational tone as he pulled out Tony's badge. "And that may have cost the lives of several of my people." Throwing the badge away, he asked, "What is your mission?"

The truth, but not really. That was what Tony tried to say as he replied, "We investigate crimes pertaining to the US Navy or Marine Corps and their families. Our team consisted of four members. Agent McGee, small muscles, big brains. Heart of a lion. Our team leader is the fearless Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Former Gunnery Sergeant, Marine Sniper, coffee aficionado… and functional mute…" Resisting adding more, Tony ground his teeth and sighed when he heard Kate whisper in his ear. Aloud, he added, "And the father of one of the most stubborn, thick-headed… and beautiful women I've ever met. Especially when she's pregnant."

Smiling smugly, Saleem asked, "And the fourth member of your team?"

'_She's standing behind you making faces and giving you bunny ears,'_ Tony thought, trying to keep the words from coming out of his mouth. "Lost her," Tony finally said, quickly, hoping he wouldn't say something to make Saleem think he was insane.

"Really?" Saleem asked, interested in how much Tony resisted giving him anymore information.

"Mm-hmm," Tony said as Kate knelt by the two other prisoners, checking on them. "For the last for years that slot has been filled by Mossad Liaison Officer Ziva David."

"Mossad?" Saleem asked, surprised. When Tony confirmed, Saleem seemed almost amused. "And NCIS. The two organizations responsible for the deaths of my men."

"Talk about Kelly. Talk about cases," Kate said, standing up. "But just talk. Don't piss the guy off, Tony, or you'll be dead before you can pull this hair-brained plan of yours off."

Tony wanted to say something to Kate but with the risk of coming off as insane, he settled with a 'too late' look in her direction. "Well, all I can say is that if we killed them then they must have been really bad guys."

Saleem stood quickly, backhanding Tony as hard as he could. "They were martyrs for the cause!" Giving Tony a hard look, he said, "So your team is here to finish the job? To shut down my organization?!"

"He's here 'cause he can't keep his damn mouth shut," said a voice from the floor.

Saleem grabbed the person who spoke and the chair he'd knocked over, righting the chair so that it was next to Tony's and shoved the red-haired young woman down onto it. "Why are you here?" Saleem asked again, looking at the two prisoners. "You were riding alone in the desert without back-up," he said, starting to become curious. "So what are you doing here?"

"Well, Saleem," Tony said, looking from the woman next to him and back to his captor. "There's only one force on Earth that can short circuit a man's better instincts, put fire in his veins that makes him dive headlong into danger with no regard for his own well-being."

"Will you stop with the monologue already?" The woman said, her tone filled with exasperation. Looking at Saleem she said, simply, "We're here to kill you."

"Vendetta," Saleem said, calmly. Thinking for a brief moment, he said, "DiNozzo is an Italian name."

"And the name 'Gibbs' is Scottish," Kelly said, sardonically. "Untie me and I'll show you how the Scots deal with enemies."

Pulling another chair from somewhere, Saleem sat down and asked, "How did you choose me as the, um… target of your bloodlust?"

"And if you say anything about vampires I'll hit you," Kelly said, irritably, looking at her husband.

"Actually, I was going to go with comparing Saleem to Gollum from _Lord of the Rings_," Tony replied.

"Tony, we're prisoners of terrorists and you're making jokes," Kelly snapped, angrily. "Shut up!"

Saleem seemed bemused by the argument, but he had attended Yale University and it didn't take a psychologist to see that the two were close. "Brother and sister?" he asked, smirking.

"Married," Kelly and Tony replied together.

"When she's not getting knocked up by old boyfriends," Tony threw in.

"Michael is _your_ son," Kelly said, exasperatedly. "He has _your _eyes and his hair already has the weird thing that yours does."

"What weird thing?" Tony asked, looking at Kelly with a perplexed expression.

"That… weird…sticking up in the back… thing…" Kelly replied, irritably. "Look, the point is, Mikey looks nothing like Callen, okay?" To herself, she added, "Ziva would take my side on this."

"Yeah, well, Ziva's not here, is she?" Tony snapped angrily.

"She is the one you lost?" Saleem asked, curious. "Then why are you not out looking for her?"

"If I could drag her back I'd do it in a heartbeat," Tony said, calmly. "But that's impossible. Ziva David is dead."

"You're lying, Tony," Kate said, firmly as she studied her former partner's face. "That may be what the evidence says, but I know there's no way in Hell you believe that."

Kelly glanced at Tony when she saw him looking past Saleem. What was he looking at? "Look, Saleem," Kelly said, irritably. "I'm just here because I was trying to finish a fight with my husband. Tony and McGee are the ones who are out for blood."

"You believe I am responsible for the death of this Ziva David," Saleem said, trying to get the facts sorted out. These Americans were so complicated… "So you travel halfway around the world to kill me," he finished, clearly amused. "That is insane."

"No, insane is when you keep getting visited by the ghost of an old friend who was coldly murdered," Kelly replied, calmly.

Tony shot Kelly a 'shut up' look as Kate laughed. But as she started to roll her eyes, Kelly stopped and looked at Tony who raised an eyebrow in affirmation before glancing in the direction of the door.

Kelly blinked twice as she saw Kate and sighed. She wanted to ask Tony how long Kate had been there, but decided that that would create more problems. If Saleem thought the two of them were crazy, he may decided to cut his losses and kill them right then and there before killing McGee.

"How did you find me?" Saleem asked, his curiosity starting to pique again. "Who are you leaving out?"

"Uh, let's see…" Kelly said in mock-thought. "Told you about the team leader, the team itself… in that case, I'd say Abby."

"Abby Scuito," Tony clarified. "NCIS resident forensic scientist. Heart and soul. Paradox wrapped in an oxymoron and smothered in contradictions in terms. Sleeps in a coffin." Thinking for another moment, he grinned and added, "Really, the happiest Goth you'll ever meet."

"Wow," Kate said, eyes widening as she walked around the room, glancing at McGee. "That's actually the best description of Abby I've ever heard."

Kelly gave Tony a look that said 'Has this been going on the whole time?' and Tony gave her a return look and the slightest shrug that said 'Pretty much'. With an amused rise of the eyebrows and barest nod, Kelly said, "We decided that in order to find out what was going with Ziva we needed to hack into Mossad's computers." Sighing, she nodded at Tony who picked up the story.

"Ziva David was on a cargo ship which sank off the coast of Somalia," Tony said, simply.

"A cargo ship that was carrying something rather unusual," Kelly added with a smirk. Looking at Saleem's canteen, she asked, "So, exactly how expensive is it to transport Caf-Pow overseas?"

Saleem stared down at the canteen, the red liquid inside. Angrily, he threw the canteen against the wall, spilling the liquid before he stormed from the room.

"Caf-Pow," Kelly said, still amazed.

"Caf-Pow," Tony confirmed. Looking down at McGee, he asked, "You okay, McGee? You awake?"

"Yep," McGee said, quietly. "When do we make our move?"

"Not yet," Kelly said, calmly. "He's rattled, but we need to wait."

"Since when did you become the patient one?" Tony asked, looking at Kelly.

"Rule number one of being a sniper," Kelly replied. "Patience."

When Saleem came back in he was holding a hooded prisoner. "Questions are being asked in town about missing NCIS agent. TThere are concerns US forces might mobilize." Shoving the prisoner harshly into the empty chair, Saleem said, sharply, "One of you will tell me the names and locations of the other operatives in the area… And the other one will die." Tony and Kelly exchanged quick panicked looks as Saleem whipped the hood of the other prisoner. "I'll give you a moment to decide who lives."

Kelly and Tony looked at the person facing them as Saleem again stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him. "So…" Tony said, looking at Ziva who seemed surprised as Hell to see them there but there was also a deeply haunted look in her eyes. "How was your summer?"

Ziva stared at Tony for the longest time before she said, "Out of everyone in the world who could have found me… it had to be you."

Her voice held no emotion, making Tony wonder when the last time was that Ziva had felt something other than emptiness and despair. There was no fire in _this_ Ziva David… no life…

"You had the baby, Kelly?" Ziva asked, her voice still in the same flat tone.

"Born 2 weeks ago in Mexico," Kelly replied. "Michael Franklin DiNozzo-Gibbs."

"You should not have come here," Ziva said, quietly.

"Why?" Kelly snapped, cutting Tony off as he started to talk. "Because you think you deserve this? Ziva, you're my friend. Your name was Jen's first word."

"What?" Ziva asked, her voice showing just the faintest touch of emotion.

"It was really cute, actually," Tony said, smiling. "Kelly had on the CD she burned of you singing and Jen smiled and said 'Ziva'. Well, it sounded like 'E-wuh', but…"

"I'm not going to go home and tell Kate and Jen that their favorite aunt is dead," Kelly swore. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Kelly took a second before opening her eyes and fixing Ziva with a patented 'Gibbs Stare'. "We're all getting out of here. _With you_. We have… something of an escape plan."

"We had a helicopter drop us nearby," Tony explained. "So we could get a fix on Saleem. Once we found his men…"

"You let yourselves be captured?" Ziva asked in astonishment. "These men are killers." Looking at Kelly, she said, "What about your children?"

"I thought about that," Kelly admitted. "Especially with Tony volunteering for this mission." Smirking, she added, "But Tony just came up with Plan A which is basically we fail to make contact with the others and they send in the cavalry. And if that doesn't work, it's Plan B."

But before Ziva could ask about Plan B, the door burst open and McGee, Tony, Ziva and Kelly could hear a commotion in the hallway outside. Groaning sharply, Kelly fell sideways out of the chair and curled up, moaning. When she saw Saleem grab Ziva and hold a knife to her throat, Kelly winked at McGee who gave a wink to Tony.

"If they do not check in their people will come looking for them," Ziva warned.

"Ziva, shut up," Tony warned. If Ziva blew the plan…

"Kill me," Ziva insisted. "You'll need the Americans for leverage."

"I don't make bargins," Saleem said, coldly.

"Do you make pizza?" Tony asked, casually.

"What?" Saleem asked just as McGee knocked his legs out from underneath him.

When Saleem fell, dropping his knife, McGee made a move for it just as Saleem pulled his gun. At the same time, Kelly pulled out her knife and quickly cut her bonds.

"Wait, stop! Stop!" Tony said quickly, hoping to keep McGee from getting shot. "There's something I haven't told you yet."

"What?" Saleem asked, still on his guard as he slowly got to his feet.

Moving slightly to the right, Tony said, "Well, I told you about the brains, I told you about the guts, I told you about the muscle. The scientist, the leader… I told you about every member of the team except myself and Kelly. The part we play."

"Which is?" Saleem asked as he stared down at Tony.

"I'm the wild card," Tony replied, coolly. "I'm the guy who looks at the reality in front of him and refuses to accept it. And Kelly, well… She's the boss's daughter."

"What does that have to do with—Argh!" Saleem cried out and dropped his gun as the blade of a ballistics knife embedded itself into Saleem's shoulder.

"I'd say you've got about 30 seconds to live, Saleem," Tony replied, calmly.

"You're still bound!" Saleem shouted at Tony, pressing a hand to the wound in his shoulder after he pulled the blade out. "You lie!"

"I can't lie," Tony replied, grinning. "And I didn't say I was going to be the one to kill you. Remember when I told you my boss was a sniper?"

There was a split second pause before a bullet came through the dirty window, dropping Saleem like a stone.

Kelly jumped up quickly, grabbing the blade of the ballistics knife and throwing it at the terrorist who had just burst through the door.

Once everyone was freed, Kelly grabbed Saleem's gun as Tony and McGee supported Ziva. Weapon out, Kelly led the way. As they came to another turn, another terrorist stood and took air but just as Kelly started to aim her shot, there was a gunshot and the man fell against the wall, dead. Coming around the corner, Kelly, Tony, Ziva, and McGee stopped when they saw the figure at the end of the hall wearing a dessert camoflouge suit and holding a Bravo 51. A 'Kate'…

Kelly smiled as she saw Kate Todd standing next to Gibbs as both of them said, "Let's go home."

Ziva blinked, and looked first at McGee who looked equally surprised and then at Kelly and Tony who seemed unfazed.

Once out of the compound, Kelly and Gibbs led the way to nearby vehicle and from there they headed to the helicopter that took them out of the dessert.

-------------

Once on board a small passenger plane headed for Quantico, Ziva sat in the back of the plane with Gibbs while Kelly sat with Tony.

Looking at Gibbs and at the same time not looking at him, Ziva said, "I did not ask anyone to rescue me."

"No," Gibbs agreed.

"Tony, McGee… they thought I was dead," Ziva went on. "My father as well?" she asked, looking at Gibbs. When he nodded, Ziva leaned back in her seat. "And _you_ came looking for me." Blinking back tears, she tried to let that sink in. "My own father gave me up for dead."

"Ziva," Gibbs said, gently, waiting until she met his eyes before saying, "I did not leave you with your father to punish you."

"I know, Gibbs," Ziva replied, looking away.

Gibbs didn't press Ziva and after a few minutes she fell into a fitful sleep. Eli David would have to be told that his daughter was alive—if he didn't know already. But Ziva was damaged goods. She was technically no longer an NCIS agent and the idea of giving Ziva back to Mossad… Well, they might as well have left her in Somalia. It would take an act of God to get Ziva reinstated at NCIS. And that would depend on psychology evaluations and proficiency tests.

Gibbs leaned back and closed his eyes. The battle was won and Ziva was back with them but the war to keep her was far from over.

-

Further down the plane, Kelly sat in silence next to Tony. Everything that had happened lately was weighing on her mind. Getting pregnant again… possibly by Agent Callen… It had been a stupid one night stand. A good-bye after the case was done. They had both known better but…

Glancing at Tony, Kelly started wondering if she really wanted to know the answer to the question she'd been holding in ever since Saleem gave Tony the truth serum. "We need to talk," Kelly said, finally.

"Yep," Tony agreed. "Sure do."

"Is that, uh… truth stuff still working?" Kelly asked, not looking at Tony.

"I think so," Tony replied. "Why?"

Kelly took a deep breath and turned in her seat to face Tony. "Tony, you've been like a brother to me and you've been my best guy friend ever since I met you. But do you love me like a… best friend and sister or…?"

Tony stared at Kelly and although there was an answer, he couldn't say it.

-------------------------

The car ride from Quantico to NCIS Headquarters was made in silence. There was the sense that what was accomplished in Somalia was a hollow victory and entering the squad room, Kelly didn't feel like joining in when everyone in the squad room applauded. There was even something subdued when Abby hugged Ziva.

Sitting down in her chair, Kelly knew that nothing would ever be the same. And it would be impossible to start over.


	28. Scenes From Season 6 part 2

AUTHOR'S NOTES: There were a lot of problems with this chapter. The main one being that even when I considered rewriting the whole chapter I couldn't really make Kelly fit into the story line. So while this may not be my best chapter, it does answer the question of Kelly's pregnancy which was mentioned in the previous chapter.

And while in later season 7 chapters I will do brief flashbacks from Rivkin's death and onward, Kelly won't be an actual part of them. This is because after Kelly told Gibbs about being pregnant—possibly by Callen—Kelly decided to stay in Mexico until she gave birth. The idea is from ages ago when pregnant women would hide themselves from society when they started to show.

Also, there is a sex scene towards the end of the chapter. Nothing _too_ graphic, but if you're against reading such stuff, please be advised.

Chapter 28

* * *

_**Scenes From Season 6—Part 2**_

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Kelly asked as she stepped into Vance's office.

"Need you to fly out to LA for a few months," Vance replied, simply. "Assistant Director David McCallum is taking a leave of absence to deal with a family issue. You'll be sitting in for him."

Kelly crossed her arms and gave Vance a look. "Why me? You've made it clear that you don't think I'm director material." Seeing that Vance was about to dismiss her, Kelly went on. "And if I wasn't here who would you send? Dad? I have more diplomacy than he has. Hell, I'm the one who…" Kelly felt a pang of heartache as she said, "I'm the one who smoothed things out between Dad and Agent Caitlin Todd when we had that case on Air Force One almost 6 years ago." Trying to regain her calm, she stopped and waited for Vance to speak.

"My reluctance to making you director of NCIS had nothing to do with your experience," Vance replied, honestly.

"Well, then why?" Kelly wanted to know. "I mean did you think I didn't have the balls for the job? Or was it because I actually have morals and ethics?"

"You were pregnant by a fellow agent to whom you were not married at the time," Vance replied. "You were given a pass on training at FLETC—something unheard of for a federal agent. You're a scandal waiting to happen." Changing the subject, he said, "You'll be working with the Office of Special Projects in Los Angeles."

Kelly both bristled at Vance's reprimand and stiffened ever so slightly at the mention of LA as she asked, "Is Special Agent Callen still there?"

"Is it a problem is he is?" Vance asked, curiously.

"No, sir," Kelly said, getting up to leave.

But as Kelly headed for the door, Vance stopped her. "Agent Gibbs…" When Kelly turned back to the director Vance said, "I don't want to hear of any more untoward situations. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir," Kelly nodded, leaving the room.

----------------------------------------------

_Los Angeles International Airport_

NCIS Special Agent G. Callen was pacing nervously as he waited for the flight from Washington, DC. Nearby, his friend and partner, Sam Hanna, was looking both amused and annoyed. "G, will you just sit down already?"

"You think she still looks the same?" Callen asked, musing out loud. "Or do you think she got fat or something?"

"She probably settled down with an insurance-selling husband and has 5 kids," Sam replied with a grin as he went back to the newspaper he'd brought along. A former Navy SEAL, Sam knew Kelly Gibbs as the daughter of Leroy Jethro Gibbs who had been a friend and mentor to Callen when the agent was just a probie. After a few minutes, however, he put the paper down and said, "G, I'm serious. Stop pacing and sit down, or I'll kick your ass."

Callen was about to reply when someone announced the arrival of the DC flight and he turned to the gate watching when people started to come out. And then… there she was. Reddish-brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, brilliant blue eyes… Callen smiled as Kelly strode towards him, smiling back. As she got closer, Callen could see that she was curvier now than she had been years ago. "Kelly," Callen said, grinning as he took her carry-on bags.

"Callen," Kelly said with a smile.

"So you're the one who got away," Sam said with a grin as he shook Kelly's hand. "I'm Special Agent Sam Hanna."

"Something like that," Kelly mumbled, blushing as she followed the two agents to the baggage claim. After a few moments, however, she said, "Agent Hanna, do you mind getting my bags? I need a word with Agent Callen."

Sam nodded and Kelly pulled Callen to a quiet corner. "I missed you, Kelly," Callen said, softly. As he started to pull her close for a kiss, Kelly pulled away, putting up a hand to stop the advance. When he saw the ring on her hand, Callen sighed. "I see," he said, quietly.

"G, whatever happened between us… It's the past, okay?" Kelly said, although she wished it wasn't.

"Okay," Callen replied, nodding. "But I did miss you, Kelly."

"Callen, please don't make this harder for me," Kelly insisted, remembering vividly their one night together.

"Right," Callen said, his voice filled with pain and longing. "Sorry."

Kelly nodded and as she and Sam headed out to the car waiting outside, Sam looked at Callen. "You okay?"

"Fine," Callen snapped.

----------------------------

Subbing for the Assistant Director wasn't all that difficult and after the first few days, Kelly and Callen had decided to keep their distance from each other, talking only when absolutely necessary.

In the office, Kelly grabbed the phone when it rang, "Acting Director DiNozzo-Gibbs."

"Your father and Agent McGee should be arriving in a few hours," Vance said, quickly. "Got a dead Marine here that may be related to that to the arms deal case you guys are working on out there."

"Understood, sir," Kelly said, hanging up as Nate Getz, the operational psychologist came in. "Yes?" Kelly asked, returning to her paperwork.

"Got a minute?" Nate asked, taking Kelly's silence as a 'yes', he said, "The hyphenate last name."

Kelly smiled and leaned back in her chair. "I've lived on the Navy Yard almost all my life. The name 'Gibbs' is well known. 'DiNozzo'… not so much."

"So it has nothing to do with the fact that you don't love your husband?" Nate asked, eying Kelly shrewdly.

"No," Kelly replied. "I love Tony."

"Really?" Nate asked, looking a bit skeptical. But when Kelly didn't reply, Nate headed out of the office and went to find Callen.

----------------------

After checking in at the OSP and finding Callen absent from the building, Gibbs went looking for him, finding the younger man sitting on a bench looking out at the beach. Sitting next to his former probie, Gibbs asked, "Does Macy know you're here?"

"Nope," Callen replied, looking at the beach. "Seen Kelly yet?"

"Yeah, I just came from there," Gibbs replied.

"Is she happy?" Called wondered, giving Gibbs a sideways glance. "I saw the wedding band."

"Yeah," Gibbs replied. Although lately he'd been starting to wonder. "She's happy."

"7 years and I still can't get her out of my head," Callen admitted, hoping Gibbs would understand. "I know she's married. I know she's got kids and I just can't forget that night we…" Stopping and looking at Gibbs, he asked, "He's a good guy?"

"Yeah," Gibbs replied. "Takes care of the kids. Helps Kelly out around the house."

"She's the only girl I ever really loved, Gibbs," Callen admitted.

"Yeah, I know the feeling," Gibbs said with a nod.

When Gibbs stood, Callen followed suit. "Think there's still a chance for her and me?"

"Don't know," Gibbs staid as the two started walking towards a diner where an undercover meet was supposed to take place. "How badly do you want her back?"

----------------

In MTAC, McGee stood near Kelly as she watched Callen walk into a brightly lit diner. "The two of you know each other?"

Kelly nodded as she watched Callen walk inside and join a man with a short beard and mustache. Watching the arms dealer, a man named Max Talia, Kelly could hear the even tone and the practiced movements. Looking to Nate Getz who nodded once in agreement, Kelly said, "He's playing a role. He's not who we want."

"How do you know that?" Macy asked, skeptically.

"Too relaxed," Nate replied. "Speech is rehearsed and too standard."

Seeing Talia get a note from Kensi who was acting as a waitress, Kelly could smell trouble, especially when Talia looked at Callen and said, "Buzz off."

"Callen, we're done," Macy said, her tone of voice making it clear that there was no way to get out of being caught.

"Who's Talia looking at?" Kelly asked, watching Talia turn back to his lunch.

After a few moments the computer tech, Eric, brought up the call back from Talia while Kelly paced at the back of the room. Something was starting to bug her about this whole mess and catching a look from Gibbs, she knew that, like her, he was also being bugged by something. Kelly longed to be home where she and her father could work on the boat frame, talking out questions and looking for new paths to follow.

But she was stuck in Los Angeles. A place of questions and problems and far too few answers.

-------------------------------------------

_Washington DC_

Ziva was hesitant as she came back into NCIS at around 1am two days after Michael left the city. An hour ago she had received a call from Kelly saying that the two of them needed to talk face to face in MTAC.

Once in the empty room, Ziva followed the instructions Kelly had given her and a few moments later, Kelly's face appeared on the screen. "You wanted to talk," Ziva said, simply.

Kelly brought up a picture and asked, "Do you know him?" Seeing the look of recognition on Ziva's face, Kelly said, "Name."

"Michael Rivkin," Ziva replied, simply.

"Mossad?" Kelly wanted to know. When Ziva nodded, Kelly sighed. "Ziva, I don't have much time. I said I needed to make a private MTAC call and everyone needed to clear out. Tomorrow, Agent Macy and Dad are going to ask you about him."

"What has he done?" Ziva asked, quickly, worry thick in her voice.

"Nothing… yet," Kelly said, shortly. "Ziva." Kelly's eyes softened as she said, "Michael says you can vouch for him. Character, alibi… I don't know. Right now he's a person of _serious_ interest. Macy doesn't trust Rivkin; neither does Dad. I don't want you to get caught in the middle."

"I will be fine," Ziva assured Kelly.

"You'll be called in again at 0700," Kelly said, quickly. "Ziva… don't do or say _anything_ that might make the others distrust you."

Once Kelly had signed off and Ziva headed out of NCIS, she started to wonder. No, she'd _been_ wondering… Asking herself the question for months now. There were similarities between Ari and Michael. Mossad knew about Ari but did they know about Rivkin? She was very fond of him but something in Ziva's gut questioned Michael's intentions.

Getting back to her apartment, Ziva could not sleep for the questions buzzing in her head. As she started to work on cleaning the place, an old quote from Sir Walter Scott echoed in her head. _"Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive." _Ziva's whole life seemed built on deception and lies. How could she ever hope to untangle the woven threads and make sense of everything?

----------

After fielding questions regarding Michael Rivkin in MTAC the following morning, Tony glanced at Vance who quietly ordered all non-necessary personnel out of the room. Looking at the MTAC screen, Vance said, "Agent Macy. Would you mind vacating the room for a minute?"

"Just me?" Macy asked, wryly. "Or did you want the rest of the team to leave, too? Or you could just end the transmission."

"Need a private word with Agent Callen," Tony replied, calmly.

Macy nodded, knowingly, and when everyone was gone from the room Callen stepped in to a clearer view.

In the almost empty room, Tony grinned. "So… how are you, Agent Callen? It's good to meet you, by the way. Haven't heard anything about you, though. Except… you know… that you slept with Kelly way back when."

"Gibbs thought I'd be a good match for Kelly," Callen replied, a half smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. "But I guess he changed his mind. Or did you just marry Kelly 'cause you got her pregnant?"

Tony's expression iced over as he said, "Stay away from Kelly."

"Look," Callen said, a bit annoyed that this conversation was necessary. "Kelly's been very clear that you and she are happy. I'm not going to ruin that."

"If you do," Tony warned, "Just remember, I've got a forensic scientist who can kill you without leaving so much as a fiber of evidence."

And with that, Tony logged off. Callen put his hands on his hips and sighed. In truth it wasn't Tony or even a highly skilled forensic scientist Callen was worried about. But if Gibbs ever discovered that Callen had done something with Kelly when she was married…

-------------------------------------

Once the case had been wrapped up, Callen headed up to Kelly's office and standing in the doorway, he knocked on the doorframe, waiting until she looked up from the papers on her desk. "Got a minute?"

Kelly didn't want to let him in. She needed to maintain a professional distance but she could remember lying next to Callen, feeling his hands on her body as he slowly traced every line of her body. When was the last time she had been so completely loved by a man? Tony could be sensual, there was no doubt about that. But even before they'd had children she'd never felt the fire she'd felt with Callen. That deep unfulfilled need and hunger… God, how she wanted that again. To feel just for a moment that she was beautiful, sensuous… More than just a federal agent and a mother.

Callen watched Kelly stand up and take a few steps towards him which he took as an invitation to come in, making sure to close the door behind him.

The passion between them was palpable. The air was thick with it and each could hear the other's heart pounding.

Glancing at the door, Kelly suddenly worried if someone came in and when she looked at Callen, she could see that he'd had the same thought.

And then, suddenly, it happened. Throwing away all thought and concern, Callen grabbed Kelly and pushed her against the wall, kissing her as he ran his hands through her hair. "God, I missed you, Kelly," Callen breathed as he crushed his lips against Kelly's.

"Wait, wait!" Kelly said, equally breathless. "My townhouse is 5 miles away."

"Right," Callen agreed, grabbing Kelly's hand and pulling her out of the office and down the hall.

----

Once in the townhouse, Callen couldn't keep his hands off Kelly. From the first touch in her office, he remembered vividly their night together long ago. But now she was no longer young and innocent. She was no longer a girl but a woman.

Leaving a trail of clothes as they headed to the bedroom, Callen picked Kelly up and laid her on the bed, touching the new scars on her body with gentle discovery and caressing the old scars with the tenderness of an old lover.

Kelly's fingers brushed old scars and new as her hands traveled Callen's body. As he kissed her neck, she felt herself open up, ready and willing for him as his hand slowly traced up her thigh, between her legs, and then up and back to the top of her left buttock.

It seemed like Kelly had been holding in a breath the whole time and when Callen tenderly kissed Kelly's breasts, he heard a moan that was full of pleasure and passion, contentment and longing.

As the finally finished making love, Kelly lay across Callen's chest and as he put an arm around her, she said, "You know this was a good-bye, right?"

"Forever good-bye?" Callen asked, closing his eyes as he felt exhaustion pressing down on him.

"Don't know," Kelly admitted before drifting off to sleep.

-------------------------------------

When Kelly finally left LA two months later, she knew she shouldn't have slept with Callen. Vance's words echoed in her mind as she thought about that night. 'A scandal waiting to happen'. Pushing the thought aside, Kelly sighed. Nothing would come of one night. And earlier, Kelly and Callen had shaken hands and said good-bye. It was over. And Kelly could go back to her family.


	29. Reveille

AUTHOR'S NOTES: I'd had this chapter in the works for a while but I wasn't sure how I wanted to finish it. But I decided to have Ari more than a little attracted to Kelly.

Next chapter will be jumping ahead into the 7th season and we'll finally see whether Kelly stays with Tony or if she goes with Callen.

Chapter 29

* * *

_**Reveille**_

_Autopsy was dark._

_All Gibbs could hear was the beating of his heart as he walked into the room, a hollow feeling deep in his chest._

_Next to one of the slabs stood Ducky, looking solemn as he looked first at Gibbs, then at the body bag on the slab._

_Walking up to the autopsy table, Gibbs looked at his friend, but Ducky offered no words of comfort. Gibbs didn't want to open the body bag, but he knew he had to._

_He owed it to her. To Shannon… and to his little girl._

_Slowly unzipping the body bag, Gibbs hesitated for a moment before pulling the flap back revealing Kelly, her reddish brown hair spilled around her, her blue eyes empty but with a touch of fear frozen into them forever. Between her eyes, a gunshot wound._

_Gibbs felt the hollow feeling in his chest open wide and swallow him whole. First Shannon… and now Kelly. The only two people on the whole damn planet that kept him going were gone._

_Looking up, Gibbs saw the gunman smiling, taking pleasure from Gibbs' pain._

_-------------------_

"Dad!" Kelly gasped as she woke up in alarm. Breathless from the nightmare she'd had, Kelly looked around, momentarily confused at her surroundings. After a moment, though, her heart rate began to slow and she looked around, slowly remembering that she was in her old bedroom in her father's house.

Sitting up, Kelly rubbed her eyes, trying to shake off the fear that was slowly fading. After being held hostage by a mystery terrorist some months ago, she'd started having nightmares. Finally, hoping to drive the bad dreams away, she'd come to her old house.

But her nights were just as sleepless here as in the apartment she now shared with Maddie.

After getting up and getting dressed, she headed out of the house and started a morning run, trying to put the nightmare out of her mind. But stopping at an intersection, Kelly froze when she heard a voice behind her.

"Hello, Kelly." Kelly whirled around, coming face to face with the gunman that had held her hostage in the autopsy room at NCIS.

"You," Kelly said, hand going to her right hip, panicking when she realized that her knife was at home along with her backup .38.

"Now, now…" the gunman said, taking Kelly's upper arm in a firm grip and forcibly leading her to a waiting car. "If you co-operate, you'll be home in 48 hours."

"And if I don't?" Kelly replied, stubbornly.

The gunman smiled as he opened the passenger door of the car. "Please, Miss Gibbs."

Kelly gave the man one last defiant look before getting in the passenger seat. When her kidnapper got behind the wheel, Kelly crossed her arms and asked, "You're not going to blindfold me or drug me?"

The man smiled as he started the car and pulled away from the curb.

----------------

When Kelly had finally come home from the hospital after the car accident when she was 8, Gibbs had been reluctant to leave her alone. It was in trying to figure out how best to keep an eye on Kelly that he realized the simplest solution was to take her to NCIS with him.

And at first Kelly had been bored sitting around but as the years went by and little by little her leg healed from the crash, Kelly started to become interested in the crime scenes and forensics. Sometimes she'd get a ride to school with her best friend, Maddie Tyler, and would come to NCIS after school, or she'd ride to NCIS with her father.

It didn't matter whether the traffic was bad or the weather was crappy. At some point during every day of the week, Kelly was strolling into the NCIS squad room, setting her laptop computer down at one of the empty desks and getting to work on her schoolwork or helping with a case.

Even half asleep at his own desk, when Gibbs didn't hear Kelly's 'good morning' he came awake quickly, looking at the empty desk she usually sat at. Seeing Agent McGee—on loan from Norfolk—and Abby hovering near him, he asked, "Where's Kelly?"

"Not here yet," Abby replied. "She told me—"

"Is she an agent?" McGee asked, a bit confused. He'd seen the young redheaded woman around but she hadn't accompanied them out into the field.

"No," Abby replied, quickly. "Kelly is Gibbs' daughter." Turning to Gibbs, she said, "And Kelly told me to tell you—"

"Abby, try calling Kelly's apartment," Gibbs said, cutting Abby off and ignoring McGee as he scribbled down the number.

"Gibbs!" Abby finally shouted. When Gibbs turned to her, she said, "Kelly said she was staying at your house last night," Abby replied, taking the scrap of paper Gibbs handed her.

That news brought Gibbs to further attention and he looked slightly more frantic as he looked at Abby. "Then call my house. Find her."

"W-Well, I-I also found away to try and locate the terrorist—" McGee started to report but stopped when Gibbs fixed him with a look.

"McGee, you have _one_ priority this morning," Gibbs said, succinctly.

"Yes, sir," McGee said, quickly.

"Find my daughter," Gibbs said to McGee and Abby. As he started for the elevator, he added, "And don't call me 'sir'. I work for a living."

----------------

There was something amiss at DC Beans this morning, Kate Todd thought as she stood in line for her coffee. Pushing it out of her mind, she was about to step closer to the counter when she saw Gibbs hurrying towards her holding two coffee cups. "Kate. You seen Kelly?"

"No," Kate replied looking around. "Why? Is something wrong?"

Gibbs handed Kate one of the coffee cups before taking Kate's arm and pulling her out of the line and towards a small table. Once the two of them were sitting down, Gibbs said, "Tell me about Kelly and the terrorist."

"Okay…" Kate said, thinking for a moment as she sipped her coffee. "He seemed… interested in her. Not sexually, or anything. But he seemed to be… intrigued. He didn't seem to want to hurt her."

"What about Kelly?" Gibbs asked, curiously. Kelly hadn't spoken about the incident and he was starting to wonder. "How did she react?"

Kate thought back. She hadn't been there at the start but when she'd come in, she saw Kelly with little fear on the outside and her eyes showed anger and stubbornness. "She wasn't about to let him call the shots. She wanted to show the terrorist that she was in control." Leaning forward, she said, "Gibbs, if Kelly's in trouble…" But seeing the worried look on Gibbs face, she knew that Kelly _was _in trouble. Standing up, she said, "I'll find her, Gibbs. I promise."

"Tell me about when Kelly attacked him," Gibbs said, suddenly.

Kate sat down again, thinking for a few moments. "She took a swipe at him with the knife she had at her waist. After he shot Gerald, Ducky and I patch Gerald up. Kelly stitched up the terrorist's wound."

"Was Kelly scared at all?" Gibbs asked.

Kate shook her head. "If she was, I didn't see it. She was more like… pissed off."

* * *

"Not hungry?" Ari asked, setting a small antipasto platter down on the picnic table behind a beautiful country house. Looking at Kelly who seemed defiant, he smiled and poured two glasses of wine, handing one to Kelly.

Kelly warily took the wine and sipped. Not bad, but then again, she was more of a beer girl. Wine was too complicated with different tastes and hidden flavors. Beer was much more straightforward. "So how does this work?" She finally asked, playing with her wine glass as she fixed Ari with a steely, blue-eyed stare. "You kidnap me and then what? What do you want?"

"To talk," Ari replied, calmly, sipping his wine. Noticing that Kelly had barely touched her glass, he asked, "You don't like the wine?"

"I prefer beer," Kelly said, simply. "Or bourbon."

"And here I chose wine because I thought you were the refined type," Ari said with a smile.

Kelly laughed at that and took a small piece of salami, savoring the flavor. "I have my moments."

"I am sure that you do," Ari grinned reaching under the table and pulling out a bottle of beer.

"My favorite brand," Kelly noted as she popped the top and took a swig. "Which makes me wonder… What else do you know about me?"

Ari smiled and sampled the antipasto before replying. "Only child. Your mother died in a car crash when you were eight." Studying Kelly for a moment, he added, "A crash that nearly crippled you."

Kelly slowly set her beer bottle down before crossing her arms and leaning on the table. "That you could have gotten from any source. I'm not impressed."

"No?" Ari said, sipping his wine.

"No," Kelly replied.

"After you graduated high school you went on a cross country trip with your best friend, Madeline Tyler," Ari went on.

The hair on the back of Kelly's neck started to prickle. The trip was no secret but there was something in Ari's eyes that made Kelly certain he knew details of the trip. "We were looking at colleges," Kelly explained, certain that Ari already knew that.

"And in Detroit, Michigan you went to a club," Ari said with a slight smile. "And that night you were raped."

Straightening up as she saw a car pulling into the garage, Kelly caught a glimpse of Kate in the passenger seat. A few moments later, one of the other men brought Kate over to the table.

"Kelly, are you okay?" Kate asked as Ari spoke to the other man who unbound Kate's hands.

"I'm fine," Kelly said as Kate sat down next to her. Turning to Kate, Kelly added, "Kate, I'd like you to meet Ari Haswari. Mossad."

Kate's eyes couldn't have been any wider even if Kelly had introduced Ari as an alien from outer space.

----------------

Gibbs was pissed.

On the one side, McGee had finally found the bastard terrorist's name.

On the other side, Kelly and Kate were being held hostage by the son of a bitch.

Furiously pacing the evidence garage, Gibbs was to scream or shoot someone—preferably Ari Haswari. Throwing his coffee cup against the wall, Gibbs tried to think but the nightmare he'd this morning kept playing in his mind. Seeing Kelly dead…

He stopped pacing and ran a hand through his hair. He'd loved Shannon. But Kelly was his reason for living. Seeing her smile at him when he was on leave from the Marines made it all seem worthwhile. If anything happened to his little girl…

But Kelly wasn't little anymore, Gibbs reminded himself. She'd gone head to head with Ari before and proved that she wasn't about to back down when threatened. And he'd seen her take down Tony during sparring sessions in the gym.

Pulling out his cell phone, he dialed Kelly's number and wanted to jump for joy when his daughter picked up. "Kelly?"

"Dad. I'm okay. Kate, too," Kelly said, calmly. Her voice showed no signs of duress and Gibbs breathed a sigh of relief. "You coming to kill this rat bastard sometime soon?"

"Soon as we can track him down," Gibbs assured Kelly.

"Better check with Mossad," Kelly warned. "Ari says he's one of theirs."

That news made Gibbs tense and he said, "One of their what?"

"Don't know," Kelly admitted. "You tell me when you get here."

Gibbs hung up the phone and for a moment he stared at it as if somehow the device would start speaking and tell him exactly where Kate and Kelly were. But when the phone remained silent, Gibbs felt his anger building up and he tightened his grip on the phone and finally he spun around to face the nearest wall and threw the phone as hard as he could at the brick, watching the phone break apart.

"She'll be okay, Jethro," Shannon said as she stood by the wall, looking down at the broken phone."

"You don't know that, Shannon," Gibbs said as he paced frantically. "Kelly could be hurt, she could be—"

"If Ari Haswari hurts my little girl," Shannon promised. "I will personally haunt his ass for the rest of his life. But I doubt he will. He's more… attracted to Kelly."

Those words made Gibbs straighten up and without saying another word to his first wife, he left the evidence garage and headed back up to the squad room to rally the troops, so to speak.

----------------

Once Kate made a call to the Secret Service to warn them about the terrorist attack on Marine One, Ari turned to one of his cohorts and ordered him to take Kate back to NCIS.

As the car pulled away, Kelly looked at Ari. "You falling in love with me or something?"

"And if I am?" Ari replied with a smile. "I have seen many different women in my life. But you puzzle me."

"Really?" Kelly asked, sipping her second beer. "And what about me is so puzzling?"

"Are you an only child?" Ari asked, fixing Kelly with a look.

"Yes," Kelly replied. "You?"

"Two half-siblings," Ari said, shrugging. "You remind me on my older half-sister."

Kelly smiled and sipped her beer again. "You do know that my father is going to kill you for kidnapping me."

Ari smiled and studied Kelly. "My sister is the daughter of Mossad's deputy director. If anyone tried to harm her, he would personally kill them. And at the same time she can easily take care of herself."

"Sounds like she and I would get along well," Kelly commented.

As he stood from the table, Ari said, "Perhaps someday the two of you will have a chance to meet." Offering a hand to Kelly, he watched her down the rest of the beer before taking his hand and standing.

"You know that if I had my knife and guns you'd be dead by now," Kelly said as she followed Ari to another car.

"If you'd had your weapons," Ari replied as Kelly took the offered keys and got behind the wheel. "You'd never have been here in the first place."

----------------

When Kelly walked into the NCIS squad room, she found herself in a crushing bear hug from Abby. "Abby! Air!" Kelly gasped, surprised that the other woman was so strong. When Abby let go, Kelly looked at Tony who was looking relieved. "I'm okay. Really." Going to the empty desk she usually sat at she grabbed a notepad and began writing out her report of what had happened.

She hated herself for leaving her weapons behind. For going with Ari without fighting back at all.

"Kelly."

Looking up, Kelly saw her father standing by the desk. "Dad." When she stood to hand over the report, she found herself enveloped in a hug. "I'm okay, Dad."

"What did I tell you about rule number 9?" Gibbs said, doing his best to keep from crying.

"Dad," Kelly said, insistently. "I'm okay. Ari didn't hurt me or Kate. Actually… I think the guy has some weirdo crush on me."

Gibbs didn't say anything. But he kept running through his mind the nightmares of the past few days and how he almost lost Kelly for the third time… And he kept thinking about putting a few 9mm rounds into Ari Haswari. If the bastard thought that he could get away with kidnapping Kelly, he was dead wrong.


	30. God Plans, Men Laugh

AUTHOR'S NOTES: After NCIS my favorite TV show—not including Food Network programs or snake specials—is Saving Grace. I started thinking about doing a crossover chapter and finally got something figured out.

For anyone unfamiliar with the show, you can always hit Google for detailed summaries, but here are the basics. Grace Hanadarko is a police detective with the Oklahoma Police Department's Major Crimes Unit. One night after driving drunk she ends up meeting a 'last-chance' angel named Earl who tries to put Grace back on track.

In this story, we find out that Earl knows about Kelly and about some of the hardships she's gone through. And both Earl and Grace try to help Kelly figure out her dilemma of Callen versus Tony.

Also, I don't mean to sound flippant when I'm poking fun at the Marine Corps Birthday Ball. My Grandfather and two of my uncles are former Marines and I have nothing but the deepest respect for the men and women of all branches of the armed forces.

Chapter 30 God Plans, Men Laugh

* * *

_Washington, DC_

_NCIS Headquarters_

For the tenth time that hour, Tony looked over at Kelly's desk.

Her empty desk.

"Did she say when she's coming home?" Tony asked the third time that hour.

"Just said she was stopping in Oklahoma for a couple weeks before driving back to DC," McGee replied, starting to feel exasperated as he looked at his computer. "And no," he added, knowing the question was coming. "She didn't say if she was with someone or alone."

Tony sighed, trying to focus on their newest case but all he could think about was what could have happened between Kelly and Agent Callen. Two weeks ago, Kelly had flown out to Los Angeles to talk to Callen and had only called a few times, not once asking to talk to Tony or Gibbs.

And why was Kelly making a stop over in Oklahoma?

* * *

_Oklahoma City Police Department_

_Major Crimes Unit_

Standing outside the doors to the MCU, Kelly felt some of the apprehension that had been building lately ebb when she saw Grace Hanadarko laughing with three other guys. Walking into the room, Kelly tried to put on a straight face as she pulled out her badge. "I'm here to arrest Detective Hanadarko."

"Bullshit," said a man with scruffy blonde hair. "What the hell for?"

"Yeah, being a smart ass ain't against the law," said one of the other detectives with a grin. "Being an OU fan… maybe."

"Wait a minute," the scruffy-hair detective said, a look of recognition on his face. "I remember you. Rafe told me about you. The two of you went out a while back, right?"

"Okay, what's going on here?" another detective asked. He was Native American and had long black hair and a black mustache and goatee.

"Guys, this is Kelly Gibbs. Friend of mine from DC," Grace said as Kelly put her badge away and smiled. "It's good to see you," she added, giving Kelly a hug.

"You, too," Kelly said, smiling. "Haven't heard from you for a few months. Thought I'd drop by on my way home."

"Well, shit," Grace said with a smile. "Hey, you should stay at my place. I've got a couch free."

"How about introductions first?" Kelly said, laughing.

"Yeah, Grace," the very hot detective said with a smile. "Who's your friend?"

"Kelly Gibbs, these are Detectives Bobby Stillwater, Butch Ada, and Ham Dewey," Grace said, pointing to each in turn.

"Your brother is Rafe Dewey, right?" Kelly said, looking at Ham with a glimmer of recognition. "I went to the Marine Corps Birthday Ball with him about 4 years ago."

"Wait, wait…" Ham said, looking stunned and disbelieving. "How the hell did you get him to go? Rafe hated that shit. He always said he joined the Marines to serve and protect his country not be paraded around like a poodle."

"I thought we were heading to Louie's," Grace said, looking at the others. "Easier to talk with beer, right?"

"I'm in," Kelly agreed.

----

Once at the bar, Kelly ordered a longneck beer and a double bourbon to the surprise of Bobby, Ham, and Butch. When they were all seated at a table, Kelly could tell that Grace's fellow coworkers wanted to know about her. "My Dad was a Marine for almost 20 years. Met my mom in town at the train station right after he joined the Corps." With a grin she sipped her bourbon and added, "It was love at first sight."

"So how'd you get to know my brother?" Ham wanted to know as he drank his beer.

"Yeah, tell us about that," Grace said, eagerly.

Kelly laughed as well. "Well, that actually has to do with my parents. Dad's first leave was right before the Marine Corps Birthday Ball. And Mom dragged him to it. And every year, they went together." She sighed and chugged down her first beer and went on. "Then Mom died when I was eight."

"Shit," Ham said, reaching out a hand and giving Kelly's a squeeze. "I'm sorry."

Kelly nodded sadly. It never got easy talking about what had happened. "Mom witnessed the murder of a Marine. NCIS had us under protective custody. We were supposed to stay in the house. But I felt cooped up. We were coming back from the library when a sniper killed the agent driving."

The detectives didn't say anything as a hush seemed to fall over the room.

Kelly threw back the rest of her bourbon and signaled the bartender for another. "Van spun out of control. Hit a car and caught a curb before crashing in a ditch. I broke my leg in 5 places." Lost in her memories, Kelly could practically feel the bones in her leg breaking as the van landed on its side. "I told Dad for years that he should go to the Marine Corps Birthday. He wouldn't. Even when I tried saying that it's what Mom would have wanted. When I turned 16 I told Dad I wanted him to go with me as a birthday present. He still refused."

"It was your father's tradition with your mother," Bobby said, quietly.

Kelly nodded in agreement. "Then one evening I got a call from one of Dad's friends. He was supposed to be at the birthday ball and his wife couldn't make it. Wanted to know if I'd like to accompany him." Shrugging, she said, "It became my own tradition. Wasn't about trying to bag a military man. It was… accompanying someone who had served their country and didn't want to go to—" looking at Ham, she smirked. "—as your brother called it 'a military dog and pony show' alone."

"That sounds like Rafe," Ham said, a reminiscent smile on his face.

Kelly dug into her purse and pulled out a small pocket photo album and flipped to one picture, handing it across the table. "Rafe was…" she laughed and then let out a sigh. "We met through a mutual friend. He was seriously dating someone. A wonderful woman named Amanda. But she was out of town and Rafe refused to go alone. So a friend told him about me."

"Yeah, he told me about that," Ham said, picking up the story as he looked at the picture of his little brother in his dress uniform standing with Kelly whose hair was curled and hanging down on her shoulders. She wore a soft lilac dress that just seemed to fit her like a dream. "He said you were the second most beautiful girl he'd ever gone out with."

"Rafe wouldn't stop going on about you," Kelly said, smiling at Ham. After a moment, he smile faded a bit and she added, "I was sorry to hear that he died. He was a good man."

"So what are you doing here, man?" Grace asked, looking at Kelly. "I mean you did just kinda drop in out of nowhere."

Kelly sighed and downed her second glass of bourbon. "It's a long story."

"Go ahead," Butch said, giving Kelly a long look.

Kelly started sipping her second beer and said, "About a year and a half ago my boyfriend got me pregnant. Twin girls."

Flipping to the picture in the pocket album, Grace looked at the photo of the twins in their Christmas outfits. "Shit! They're adorable!"

"Kate and Jen," Kelly said, smiling. "And at the back is a picture of my new baby, Mike." Sipping her beer she said, "Who—I found out last month—isn't Tony's son."

"Wait, a second guy got you pregnant?" Grace said, shocked.

Kelly leaned back in her chair. "Yeah. And now Callen and Tony want me to choose between them and I…" She started laughing loudly. "I don't know what the hell to do!" Sighing, she buried her face in her hands.

Grace started to say something but then she noticed that Kelly was starting to sob. Putting a hand on the young woman's back, she said, "It'll be okay. You'll figure it out."

-------

At her house later that night, Grace let Kelly have the bed while she popped a fresh beer and sat at the kitchen counter with a bag of chips.

"How'd the two of you meet?"

Grace didn't need to look up to see who was talking. She'd know that gruff yet friendly voice anywhere. "Online chat room for people dealing with losing a loved one. We became fast friends. That was about 11 years ago. She told me about losing her mom. I told her about losing my sister." Studying Earl, her last-chance angel, for a moment and taking in his weathered face and graying hair, she asked, "What were you doing at Louie's tonight, Earl? I saw you at the bar. And you weren't watching me, you were watching Kelly."

Earl's expression was melancholic as he looked at Grace. "Kelly ever tell you 'bout her cross-country trip after high school?" he asked.

"Yeah," Grace replied, wondering what was going on. "She and Maddie Tyler were checking out colleges."

"She tell you about Detroit?" Earl asked.

"What happened?" Grace asked, looking worried. When the angel didn't reply, Grace felt her temper rising. "Damnit, Earl, don't pull this shit. What happened?"

Earl hadn't wanted to tell Grace but seeing that Grace genuinely cared about the younger woman, he sighed. "He was another case of mine. Was starting to turn his life around. Until he saw a young redhead sitting at a table with her best friend."

"You're talking about Kelly," Grace deduced before she took a swig of her beer. "What happened?"

"His mother was a redhead," Earl went on. "Did things to him that I wouldn't wish on any other human being on this planet."

"What about McVeigh or Bin Laden?" Grace asked. When Earl shook his head, she was floored. "Shit."

"You want to know the rest… ask Kelly," Earl said, regretfully.

"You're not going to tell me?" Grace asked, starting to get curious. Her detective radar was starting to fire up.

Earl was silent for a long time and when Grace finally fixed him with a look she reserved for the worst lowlifes, he sighed. "Let's just say… the boy snapped."

"He attacked Kelly?" Grace asked, quickly. When Earl nodded, she sighed. "Raped?" When the angel nodded again she threw back the rest of her beer. "Anything else about Kelly you had a hand in? Her mother's death?" Earl didn't say anything she threw the empty bottle out. "Damnit. Let me guess: the shithead drug dealer that shot Shannon Gibbs in the head?" Her voice was rising in anger. It was bad enough dealing with Father Patrick 'Satan' Murphy—the priest who'd molested her in grade school—and Leon Cooley, but now a _friend_—someone she had come to think of like a little sister—was mixed up with Earl too. "Or was it Caitlin Todd? Jenny Sheppard? Kelly is my _friend_, Earl. I care about her."

"Jenny Sheppard made it to Heaven in record time, Grace," Earl said, calmly. "So did Shannon. Both of them were good people." Smiling wryly, he said, "Of course a whole _team_ of angels still hasn't managed to drag Kate Todd away. That woman isn't going to heaven until she's completely certain Kelly's going to be okay."

Grace felt her head start swimming, a sure sign she'd been talking to Earl too long. "So who was it?"

"The Marine Pedro Hernandez killed," Earl replied. "Worked on him since he was 10 years old. A lot of shit and hard times. But he turned his life around. Found what he needed and was well on his way to being a good man. I was just checking in on him and arrived right when he was killed."

"Shit," Grace said, starting to feel overwhelmed. "So was it in God's plan for Kelly and I to become friends?"

Earl seemed reluctant as he said, "No."

"Really?" Grace asked, surprised. "Why's that?"

"Kelly was supposed to die in the crash," Earl told her.

Grace was starting to wonder as far as Earl's chattiness. Usually the angel was cryptic as hell. "Why are you telling me all this?"

"Because she needs to know," Earl replied, simply. "And she deserves to hear it from a friend."

-------------

The next morning, Kelly and Grace drove to Purcell for pancakes before going to the office. Sitting across from the detective, Kelly dug into breakfast and asked, "Who were you talking to last night?"

Grace shrugged. "A friend." After a few bites of pancake, she said, "Do you believe in angels?"

Kelly swallowed the bite she'd been chewing and nodded. "One of Dad's agents—Kate Todd—Sometimes I still feel her around. I talk to her sometimes. Why?"

Grace pondered her next words and finally said, "I have an angel. Earl." Thinking for a second she grinned. "Not exactly conventional, but…"

"And Earl has something to do with me?" Kelly asked, a bit confused.

"He told me some things," Grace admitted, not really sure how to tell Kelly. "The main thing being… you weren't supposed to survive the crash when you were 8."

Kelly stiffened at that. "What?"

"You were supposed to die in the car crash that killed your mom," Grace repeated.

Kelly felt suddenly overwhelmed at that buried her face in her hands. "Oh, God."

"I'm sorry," Grace said, insistently. "I know you don't want to hear this… or you think I'm crazy."

Kelly brought her hands down and sighed. "I don't know… I just… So why didn't I die?"

Grace didn't have an answer to that and said, "I don't know." Leaning forward, she put a hand on Kelly's. "What I do know is that you're alive, and my friend, and having pancakes with me."

"When I…" Kelly took a second and a deep breath before saying, "When I was little… And Dad was away I was always running around getting cuts, scrapes, broken bones… I always thought that if I hurt myself bad enough Dad would come home for good."

"And then the car accident happened and your dad did come home for good," Grace finished, her mind starting to work. She remembered a time last year—Rafe Dewey getting his arm broken by Ham… Ham didn't talk about it much anymore, but Grace knew he still felt guilty. "Kelly, you need to talk to Ham. Just the two of you."

"What about?" Kelly asked, confused.

"Rafe," Grace replied, an idea beginning to form. "I think you can help him deal with some things."

----------------

In the forensics lab of the OCPD building, Grace found her best friend Rhetta Rodriguez working on their latest case. "Kelly's in town," Grace said as a greeting when she walked into the room.

"Kelly Gibbs?' Rhetta asked as she looked up. "Your pen-pal from DC?"

"She's trying to figure some stuff out," Grace explained. "She's married, twin girls with her husband and a son from a one night stand with an old boyfriend."

Rhetta looked up and immediately she thought of her husband, Ronnie, who had cheated on her. "Why'd she cheat on her husband?"

"I don't know," Grace admitted. "She doesn't want to talk about it." Walking around the table in the center of the room, she said, "Earl knows her."

"Really?" Rhetta said, her marital woes momentarily forgotten. "Tell me."

* * *

_Washington, DC_

In the basement of his house, Gibbs worked on the new boat frame. For years he'd built boats as an activity with Kelly, and then as an opportunity for the two of them to talk. But now the work helped him think. He let the rhythmic sanding and planing calm his mind and drilling slat-holes and measuring gave him something other than life to focus on.

But tonight, Gibbs' mind was filled with thoughts of Kelly. He knew that Kelly had had a fling with Callen in Los Angeles. And he knew that there was a chance that Kelly's new baby, Michael, was possibly Callen's son.

There was one main reason Gibbs had always kept Kelly from dating when she was younger and it had to do with Gibbs' own dating practices after Shannon had died. Back and forth between girlfriends, flings on the side during his two remarriages… And now Kelly was following in his footsteps and making the same mistakes he had. Gibbs liked Tony for Kelly. The two were good together and they cared about each other. But Tony wasn't ready to fight to keep Kelly and as a father, Gibbs found that worrying.

"Contrary to your fears, Gibbs," Kate said as she appeared sitting at the workbench. "Kelly's doing just fine."

"Then why the hell did she sleep with Callen?" Gibbs asked, setting his tools down to look at Kate.

"Because Callen offered what it was that made Kelly fall in love with Tony," Kate replied. When Gibbs seemed confused, she laughed, "Passion, Gibbs. Kelly saw how Tony was acting with Jeanne… and how you and Jenny acted, by the way. But once Kelly had the twins passion kind of went out the window."

"Well, what the hell am _I_supposed to do about it, Kate?" Gibbs asked, angrily. "I told Callen that he should try and fight for Kelly!"

"Actually, you asked Callen how badly he wanted Kelly back," Kate replied with a smirk. "Look, it's going to take a lot more than one fling to split up Kelly and Tony. So stop worrying."

----------

At a local bar, Tony was content to keep drowning his sorrows in bourbon but the bartender looked like he was about to stop serving Tony shots. The odd thing was, the two of them were the only people in the whole place. In the background, country music played from a jukebox in the corner.

"You're gonna feel like hell in the morning, you know," the bartender said, giving Tony a look.

"Yeah," Tony agreed. "Probably." Looking at the bartender, an older man with graying hair, he said, "You ever been in love?"

"Sort of," the bartender replied. "Is that what's got you tied up in knots?"

Tony nodded. "She's the most stubborn, thick-headed, brazen… and beautiful women I've ever known," he said, imagining Kelly. "A fiery redhead whose smile can turn you into a wobbling plate of Jello and bright blue eyes that can cut you like a knife."

"Sounds like one amazing woman," Earl said, pouring Tony a soda. "So where is she?"

"With friends in Oklahoma," Tony replied, sipping his drink. "We had a fight a while back and we figured we needed some time apart."

"I can understand that," Earl said with a nod. Munching some of the pretzels in a bowl on the bar counter, he asked, "So how'd the two of you get together?"

"She's the boss's daughter," Tony replied. "Every time I'm with her I expect my boss to smack me on the back of the head, but…"

"Do you love her?" Earl asked, curiously. People in love had to be the craziest. They were always willing to go through some of the worst emotional pain imaginable on the chance that they could experience one of the greatest feelings in the world.

Tony didn't reply for a moment, but finally, he said, "When I first met her, I kind of started acting like a big brother, you know? And after a couple years she became my best friend." Seeing that the bartender was still waiting for an answer, Tony sighed. "Kelly asked me the same thing a few months ago. I love her… like a best friend… a sister… and the mother of my daughters." Looking at Earl, he said, "But even when we had sex, there was no passion. We just wanted to be together." Fiddling with his soda glass, Tony went on, although why he was spilling his guts to a stranger was more than a bit odd. "I keep wondering if that was why Kelly slept with Callen. Kelly and I never had passion."

"There are all kinds of love, son," Earl said, simply, as he poured himself a beer. Maybe he was hanging around Grace too much, but for some reason he found the most meaningful conversations happened over drinks. "Passionate love, puppy love, sexual love… The way I see it, you and Kelly have the deepest type of friendship there is. You're there for one another through thick and thin. And there may or may not be such a thing a true love, but you know that your life isn't complete without her and the kids. Just like Kelly's life isn't complete without all of you. You're family."

"Yeah," Tony agreed. "I guess."

"God may have never intended for the two of you to meet," Earl added as Tony finished his soda. "But even He can't stop the two of you from being together."


	31. Chapter 31

AUTHOR'S NOTES: I know this chapter has taken a while. But while the first part of the crossover was easy to write, the second chapter has proved more difficult. Although I did draw a bit of inspiration from the episode 'Outlaws and In-laws' which is probably my favorite episode which features the character Mike Franks.

And just as a completely unrelated note: If any readers use the Facebook application FarmVille, I could use some new neighbors.

Read, review, and show your love

Chapter 31 Expect The Unexpected

* * *

Waking early in the morning, Kelly found that Grace was gone but in the kitchen there was an older man making breakfast. "Morning," Kelly said, a bit perplexed. Who was this guy? And what was it about him that seemed so familiar?

"Morning," the mystery man said, cheerfully, as he whipped up eggs, bacon, toast, orange juice, and coffee. "Sleep well?"

"Yeah," Kelly said, scratching the head of Grace's bulldog, Gus. After a moment, her curiosity got the better of her and she asked, "Who are you?"

"Just a friend," the man replied. "Grace said she had to get out early. New case. Asked if I'd do breakfast for you when you got around to waking up."

Kelly nodded as she sipped her coffee. "Thanks. It's nice to actually sleep at night without kids crying all night."

"How many?" the guy asked as he grabbed a cup of coffee.

"Twin girls and a boy," Kelly replied, digging into the best scrambled eggs she'd ever eaten, thick-cut bacon that looked like it had been smeared with blackberry jam, and sourdough toast spread with cream cheese. (A/N: If you've never tried your bacon like that I strongly recommend it. It sounds weird but it's _really good_.) "Oh, man…" she said, feeling like she was in culinary heaven. "If you're not married, dude, that's a crime."

"I'm… in a committed relationship," the man said, smirking. Holding out a hand, he said, "I'm Earl."

Kelly blinked and slowly, she held out her hand to shake Earl's. "Grace's angel."

"Yeah," Earl replied as he looked at Kelly. "Thought you might have a few questions."

"Was Grace telling the truth?" Kelly asked. "About the car accident?"

"Yes, she was," Earl replied, sadly. Pulling over a barstool and sitting down, he asked, "Did Grace tell you about Detroit?"

Kelly nodded. "Rocky Carroll, the man who raped me, was one of your cases."

"So was the Marine whose murder your mom witnessed," Earl added as he stole a piece of Kelly's bacon.

Kelly felt her appetite ebbing away a bit and asked, "Does God always have a plan?"

"Almost always," Earl replied, sipping his coffee.

"Almost," Kelly repeated, quietly. "You mean me."

"What happened that day, Kelly?" Earl asked, wondering. How had this young woman survived when she was supposed to have been killed?

Kelly sighed and thought back to the day her world crashed.

* * *

_19 Years Ago_

_Kelly grinned as she held the tapes she and her mother had picked up from the library. They had managed to find _The Secret of NIMH, Fox and the Hound, and Care Bears._ "Can we watch one when we get home, Mommy?" Kelly asked, happily, as she looked at her treasures._

"_After dinner, honey," Shannon said, turning in the passenger seat to look at her daughter before looking at the NIS agent driving the van. "Thanks for doing this, Agent Martin."_

"_My pleasure, ma'am," Agent Rudolf Martin said, glancing in the rear-view mirror. "So what did you get, kiddo?"_

_As Kelly looked up to reply, she screamed as something came through the windshield and the back of the agent's head seemed to explode. "Mommy!" Kelly shrieked as the van started to go out of control. She knew she should keep her seatbelt on but when another car banged into the other side of the van, Kelly unhooked her seatbelt and scooted down on the floor just as a car hit the van, curling up as tightly as she could._

"_Kelly!" Shannon screamed, turning to reach for her daughter._

"_Mommy!" Kelly cried as she reached a hand up to grab her mother's just as the van started to roll sideways. Closing her eyes as she felt the backseat area of the van start to compact and felt the bones in her right leg break, Kelly had a sudden flash of her father standing over her grave and her mother's. Of her daddy being all alone in the house… of the boat in the basement lying unfinished. She couldn't die. She couldn't leave her daddy alone. What if her mommy didn't make it? Who would help her dad deal with that? _'I'm not going to die, God. Don't let me die. 'I'm not going to die, God. Please, don't let me die.' _Until she lost consciousness, Kelly kept repeating the prayer, hoping that someone… somewhere would hear._

* * *

_Present Day_

"All I could think about was staying alive," Kelly said as she finished telling the story. "I didn't want to leave Dad alone."

Earl was pensive as he thought about Kelly. He never understood why she hadn't died but hearing her side of things, he started to wonder if perhaps there was some sort plan in motion. "Do you ever miss your mom?" he asked, curiously.

Kelly nodded slowly, but she said, "I do miss Mom sometimes, but… I miss Kate and Jenny more."

"Really?" Earl asked, his interest piquing. "Because you were so young when she died?"

"There's that," Kelly replied, nodding. "Sometimes I don't remember that much about Mom, but…. But Dad was my whole world. And while I loved Mom… Dad and I were closer." Getting up and taking her plate and coffee mug over to the sink. "And now that I'm a mom I just—" Kelly stopped and whirled around as the power went out just as something came through the window. There was a 'bang' and the whole room started filling with smoke. Coughing, Kelly got on the floor and tried to get a good look at the three men now breaking into Grace's house.

"On your feet!" someone shouted, in an Israeli accent.

Kelly did so, slowly, but as she put her hands behind her head in case the attackers were going to restrain her, she felt something hard and metal impact against her leg, breaking the bone. She fell to the floor, crying out as she slammed her knee into the ground, along with her broken leg. Looking up at the men surrounding her, Kelly tried not to scream when one of the men kicked her injured leg before hauling her to her feet and dragging her out of the house.

* * *

_Washington, DC_

Walking into NCIS, Gibbs eyed Kelly's empty desk before turning to Tony who looked tired and grim. "How's Mikey?" Gibbs asked, figuring Tony's mood had something to do with his premature son.

Tony sighed. "In the hospital again. He was having trouble breathing last night so I had to take him to the ER. They're running tests and doing a bunch of other stuff," Tone said, wearily. "Abby and Ducky are keeping an eye on him for right now," Tony added, seeing Gibbs' 'what are you doing here' look. "I wanted to see if there were any messages from Kelly."

"DiNozzo…" Gibbs sighed.

"Maybe that's why she's in Oklahoma," Tony went on. "Wanted some time alone with Callen." When he felt his boss smack the back of his head, Tony looked up.

"Stop complaining and do something about it," Gibbs said, simply. "If you love Kelly, then fight for her."

Tony nodded but before he could reply, Ziva came hurrying up. "OCPD just called. Kelly has been kidnapped."

As Tony and Gibbs started to grab their gear, Ziva stopped them and Gibbs noticed the guilty look on her face. "Ziva, what is it?"

Ziva felt afraid as she looked at the only family she had left. "Last night… Eli David called me. I refused to speak with him." Seeing Gibbs' look, she added, "I am afraid he may have done something rash."

Gibbs nodded, his face impassive as he said, "Grab your gear, Ziva."

Ziva nodded and grabbed her gear, but she couldn't help but be worried. While she no longer considered Eli David family, he was still her father.

* * *

Sitting up on a bed in a very beautifully furnished hotel suite, her right leg splinted, Kelly glared at Eli David who was on the phone with someone back at Mossad. "Do you know what happened to the last person who kidnapped me?" Kelly asked, eying the Mossad officer who was standing guard at the door. "Well, you should know. After all it was your son."

"Is that you're way of telling me that your father is going to kill me?" Eli David asked, somewhat amused.

"No," Kelly replied, calmly. "Although when Dad finds out your guys broke my leg he'll probably seriously consider it. No, I'm saying that Leroy Jethro Gibbs is more of a father than you've ever been."

Eli turned to the other Mossad officer and spoke in quick Hebrew before turning back to Kelly. When the other officer left the room, Eli said, "Is that so?"

"Yeah," Kelly said, simply. "When was the last time you told Ziva 'good job'… or even 'I love you'?" Before Eli could reply, she went on. "I'm betting… not since Ziva's mother died. And you figured that real emotion only leads to pain. But Ziva's not like that. When she first started with NCIS she always seemed surprised when Dad told her 'good job'."

"If you do good work on a job, what does it matter if someone else acknowledges it?" Eli asked.

"It matters because it's nice to know that someone else _also_ recognizes good work," Kelly explained. "And it's nice when you receive credit for doing something well. But more than that, Ziva needs to know that you view her as more than a Mossad officer. That you actually care about her as a father and not just as another agent of Mossad."

Eli leaned back in his chair, looking thoughtful. "Then why does she hate me? If she wants my attention and love, why didn't she come back to Israel after her rescue?"

Kelly winced as she sat up straighter. "You manipulated her to get her here in the first place… then when Ziva wanted to stay and work with NCIS you used it to your advantage. When Ziva was sent back by Vance, you put her and Michael Rivkin together with dishonest motives." Giving Eli David a look, she said, "All Ziva gets when she goes back to you are lies, manipulation… and pain. The two times she's gone back to you have _both_ ended in her near-death. Ziva's not safe with you. Not any more."

"That is not my fault," Eli said, his tone full of anger.

"If you can't trust the people you work with… the people who have your back, you're dead," Kelly said, simply. "One of the primary rules of the Marines. Ziva can't trust you to have her back. She trusts NCIS because we have never purposely manipulated her."

----------------

Grace was pacing the MCU squad room when three people walked in. The leader had Kelly's blue eyes and Grace figured this was Kelly's father. "Agent Gibbs?" Grace asked as she walked up.

"You're Grace Hanadarko?" The younger man asked, holding out a hand. When Grace shook it, he said, "Agent DiNozzo."

"Kelly's husband," Grace replied. "We're looking for her, guys. We'll find her. I promise."

"We may have a lead," Ziva said, quietly, although she didn't look at anyone, especially Gibbs.

"Great," Grace said, pointing the NCIS agents over to the desks. "Who?"

"My father," Ziva said, quietly. Holding out a file, she said, "Director of Mossad, Elijah David. I believe he kidnapped Kelly to… to force me to meet with him."

"Let's talk," Grace said, leading Ziva to an interview room and closing the door.

Looking at Gibbs, Tony asked, "Boss, what do you want me to do?"

"Check out the… the crime scene," Gibbs said, heading for the door.

Tony watched Gibbs leave before turning to the Major Crimes detectives. "So who wants to take me to Hanadarko's house?"

-------

Tony pulled on gloves as he approached the modest house before looking at Detective Ham Dewey. "Sorry about the boss," Tony said as he walked in and looked around. "He's usually first at the scene."

"He's probably worried about Kelly," Ham replied, eying Tony. "Sure as a dad you can understand that."

Tony turned to Ham and said, "If you're implying that I'm not worried about Kelly, you're wrong."

"Do you even know why Kelly was here?" Ham asked as he looked around the kitchen and living room.

"No, she didn't tell me," Tony replied, looking around as well. "We… haven't really been talking lately."

Fixing Tony with a look, Ham sighed. "Look, man, I know what it's like to be torn between two people you love. But Kelly does love you. And I know you love her."

"You know, huh?" Tony asked, as he went to examine the broken front door.

"It's in your eyes," Ham said, simply.

"And how do you know that?" Tony asked, looking at Ham. But after a moment, Tony nodded. "You and Hanadarko?"

Ham nodded. "I was married," he explained. "Grace and I started having an affair. I loved my wife, but… I love Grace more."

Tony nodded. "Yeah… I get that." Sitting on one of the barstools at the counter, Tony asked, "I can't just forgive Kelly… can I?"

----------------

"Ziva's never going to forgive you, you know," Kelly said, resolutely, as she stared at Eli David, ignoring the pain in her leg.

"I know," Eli said, calmly as he open two cans of soda and handed one to Kelly along with an unopened bottle of aspirin. "I am sorry my men hurt you, Miss Gibbs. That was not on my orders."

"Sure it wasn't," Kelly replied as she swallowed two pills.

"I have lost my son, my daughter, my wife…" Eli said, sadly. "I have all but lost Ziva. I want to know if there is even the slightest chance that there could be some sort of… reconciliation between myself and my daughter."

"Reconciliation," Kelly repeated with a wry laugh. "You honestly think that Ziva wants anything to do with you? Or Mossad?"

"Why?" Eli asked. "Why does my daughter hate me so much?" Standing and walking to the window, he said, "Mossad is not like NCIS, Miss Gibbs. There is no room for error. We are trained early to show no weakness."

"Emotions… compassion… They're not weakness… Director," Kelly replied, her expression cold. "You know that Ziva is never going to forgive you. You know that reconciliation is a dream. Ziva doesn't trust you. Anything you say is going to sound like more lies and manipulation."

"Then what do I do?" Eli asked. "To lose the last family I have left… Surely you can understand."

A large part of Kelly rebelled against helping Eli David. She knew what he'd done… the kind of man he was… But Kelly also remembered her own father asking Ziva for advice after Gibbs came back from Mexico. "If you want to fix anything between you and Ziva, start by telling her the truth. The _whole_ truth. Might not help, but… It can't hurt."

-------------

"What do we got?" Gibbs asked as he walked back into the MCU, looking at the other detectives.

"Eli David did arrive in Oklahoma City approximately 48 hours ago," Ziva replied, quickly. "We are checking hotels to find out where he is staying."

"I've got patrols out canvassing my neighborhood," Grace added. "And we've got officers checking out all consulates, mosques, and Middle Eastern restaurants."

When Ziva's cell phone rang, she answered it quickly and paled when she recognized her father's voice. "Yes. Very well." Hanging up quickly, she looked at Gibbs. "He is with Kelly at the emergency room."

"Bobby and I will go pick him up," Butch said as he and his partner grabbed their jackets and headed for the door.

"Is Kelly okay?" Tony asked Ziva, glancing at Gibbs out of the corner of his eye.

"I do not know," Ziva admitted, her tone brusque.

"It's okay, Ziva," Gibbs said, quickly. "You and I can go to the ER. DiNozzo, I want you to do the interrogation when Eli David gets here."

"On it, boss," Tony said as Gibbs and Ziva left the room.

----------

"You think it is a good idea for me to see my father?" Ziva asked as she and Gibbs drove to the hospital.

"I don't know," Gibbs replied, honestly. "I know you hate him, Ziva, but—"

"I don't hate _him_," Ziva said, as she stared out the passenger side window. "I hate what he has done… but I cannot hate him."

Gibbs didn't say anything else until they had parked in the hospital parking lot. He turned to face Ziva and waited until she had given him her full attention before saying, "Ziva, Eli David doesn't control you. You are no longer a Mossad officer. You are an NCIS agent." When Ziva nodded quickly and went to unbuckle her seatbelt, Gibbs reached out and put a hand on hers, waiting until she looked him in the eye again. "Ziva… It'll be okay."

Ziva nodded and together, she and Gibbs headed into the hospital, finding Eli David being held up by Detectives Ada and Stillwater. Looking at the detectives, then at Eli and Ziva, Gibbs said, "Why don't you give them a few minutes?"

"Got it," Butch said with a nod.

"Want us to come find you if things get rough?" Bobby asked as Gibbs headed for the nurse's station.

Gibbs gave a wry smile as he turned and replied, "Nah. Just keep 'em from killing each other."

--

Outside, Ziva couldn't look her father in the eye as she said, "I am not going back. I _cannot_ go back." Looking at the people walking by, Ziva's eye caught sigh of an older man with graying hair who seemed to be watching her. Turning away, Ziva finally looked her father in the eye. "The part of me that was yours… The soulless killer you raised is dead," she said, plainly. "I have had enough of death… of lies and deceit. No more." Turning to walk back into the hospital, she stopped when her father said her name.

"Ziva…" Eli said, taking a few tentative steps towards the only child he had left. "I raised you as I did because I wanted you to survive. So that you could learn to live in a world that is harsh and unforgiving."

"What good is living when there is nothing to live for?" Ziva asked, facing her father again.

Eli smiled sadly. "Your mother said that to me often." Reaching out a hand, he felt his heart clench when Ziva withdrew from his touch. "You are my daughter, Ziva," he said, gently. "Nothing will ever change that. And I know that I have done unforgiveable things." When he went to touch Ziva's arm, he felt her flinch, but she didn't pull away. "Do me one favor… in case this is the last time we see each other."

Ziva didn't reply but she nodded.

Eli gave Ziva a smile and gave her arm a gentle squeeze. "Be happy. Find joy in your life." Seeing Ziva's confused look, he added, "It will make me worry much less… as a father… if I know that you are doing something you _want_ to do."

"Since when do you care about what I want?" Ziva said, a snap in her voice. "I have told you what I want. I want the truth. I want your honesty! And all you do is use it against me to get what _you_ want!"

"What do you want to know, Ziva?" Eli asked, meeting Ziva's eyes. "Whether Michael Rivkin really cared about you? If I knew that you were the one to kill Ari?"

"Do you love me?" Ziva asked, tears welling up in her eyes. "Did you ever really love me? Or was I just your weapon?"

Eli wasn't quite sure what to make of the question.

Reading her father's silence as an answer, Ziva turned and headed back into the hospital as Butch and Bobby came up to escort Eli David to the police department.

--

In the surgical waiting room, Gibbs stood, waiting. All the nurses could tell him was that Kelly's right leg had multiple fractures requiring further surgery. Finally dropping into one of the chairs, Gibbs bowed his head, closed his eyes and found himself offering prayer after silent prayer that Kelly would be okay… that it wouldn't take 10 years for her to recover from this… And Gibbs wanted Ziva to settle things—for better or worse—with her father.

"You look like a man who could use some coffee."

Gibbs eyes flew open and he looked up to see a gruff, gray-haired man standing next to him holding a cup of coffee. Taking the cup, Gibbs gave a nod of thanks and sipped the hot drink, his eyebrows rising a bit in surprise. "This isn't hospital coffee," he said, looking at the stranger.

"No, sir, it isn't," the mystery man said with a smile. "And she's going to fine."

"Who?" Gibbs asked, a part of his mind wondering why he wasn't more curious about this mysterious stranger.

"Kelly," the man replied. "And Ziva."

But before Gibbs could ask the guy how he knew about them, he heard someone call his name and turned to see one of the doctors coming out of the operating room. Standing up, Gibbs asked, "How's Kelly?"

Dr. Alan Dale was straightforward as he replied, "Surgeons are still working on her leg. The ankle fracture is going to require a metal plate and several screws and she'll need another screw or two in her knee." After a moment, he went on. "The problem is your daughter's previous leg injury. The previous hardware in Kelly's leg will have to be replaced and we have to put a plate in her leg to fix the newest injury to her tibia."

Gibbs nodded, thinking of Kelly's kids. "Post-op?" he asked, wondering how long Kelly would be recovering.

Dale thought for a moment and sighed. "Most likely… 36 hours in a leg cage," he replied. "If everything looks okay and there's no signs of severe swelling we'll cast the leg." Seeing Gibbs about to ask the question, he said, "Kelly will likely be in the cast for 3 months; possibly more depending on how well she heals. Then physical therapy. She'll likely be fitted for a leg brace once she's out of the cast."

Gibbs nodded but before he could ask any other questions, he saw Ziva coming towards him looking flustered.

"How'd it go with your father?" Gibbs asked as Dr. Dale headed back into the operating room.

"I do not want to talk about it," Ziva replied, quickly.

Gibbs gave a quick nod as Ziva sat down. He wanted to know what was bothering her, but decided to wait until they were back in DC.

-------------------

The sun was just starting to rise when Kelly woke up. Looking around the hospital room, she saw Grace sitting in a chair by the bed reading a newspaper. Looking at her leg, Kelly sighed as she saw the metal cage-brace.

"Hey," Grace said, setting the paper down as Kelly grabbed the bed control and raised the back so she was sitting up more. "How are you feeling?"

Kelly shrugged, looking at her leg. "Fine, I guess. Where's Dad?"

"Hotel with your hubbie and Agent David," Grace replied, studying her friend. "Gibbs is sending Eli David back to Israel. Tony and Ziva are staying in town for a while."

"Until I can travel, right?" Kelly asked, dolefully. "Or am I stuck here until my leg completely heals?"

"Kelly, you're going to be fine," Grace said, trying to be reassuring. "6 weeks tops and you'll be home."

Leaning back in the hospital bed, Kelly sighed again. "And then what? I'm in a cast for another 3 months and who knows what after that."

"Hey," Grace said, leaning forward. "You're going to be okay, Kelly." Taking her friend's hand, she said, "Really. Look, I know it sucks. But anything I can do to help, let me know, okay?"

Kelly nodded and after a while, she asked, "Can you call Tony and see if he's heard from Abby about the kids?"

"You got it," Grace replied. Giving Kelly's hand a squeeze, she said, "You sure you're going okay?"

"Other than the busted leg?" Kelly replied. Thinking for a while she shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. Talking with Eli David made me realize that I have a good life…. Friends, a loving family."

"You're thinking about what Earl said?" Grace asked, a musing tone to her voice.

"You know, it doesn't matter if I wasn't supposed to be here," Kelly replied. "I am here and I have a family… kids…"

With a grin, Grace leaned back in her chair. "Not bad for someone who was supposed to die at 8 years old."

"Hear, hear," Kelly agreed with a smile.


	32. Broken, But Healing

Chapter 32 Broken, But Healing

* * *

_Bethesda Naval Hospital_

_5 Weeks Later_

It was almost sundown when Kelly woke up in a hospital room in Bethesda. Earlier that day, she'd been sedated in Oklahoma before being loaded onto a medical helicopter and transferred to Virginia. Groping for the bed control remote, Kelly adjusted the incline so she was sitting up more just as Tony came into the room.

Looking at Kelly's right leg—now in a full length cast and traction rig—Tony felt terrible about all the times that they'd fought over the past months. Sitting down next to the bed, he said, "According to Dr. Marks, you can come home in about a month."

"Let me guess," Kelly said, dismally. "Complete bed rest?"

"Pretty much," Tony replied with a nod. "For at least 3 weeks."

Kelly leaned back, letting out a long, slow breath. "Yeah…" she said, slowly. "I remember."

Tony was quiet for a moment before he said, "You never talk about what happened." Catching Kelly's look, he said, "When you were a kid."

Sitting up a bit and wincing when the movement jostled her leg a bit, Kelly said, "The doctors kept me in the hospital for almost 2 months. Dad was dealing with Mom's death and trying to figure out what to do… After leaving the Corps."

After grabbing an extra pillow from one of the chairs and putting it behind Kelly, Tony said, "I know this isn't the best time, but we need to talk about Mikey." Seeing Kelly about to argue, he said, "I don't care if he is Callen's son. He's my kid, too."

"Is he okay?" Kelly asked, worried. "You said he was in the hospital again. And I'm sorry for just leaving like that, but I wanted to tell Callen in person."

Tony shook his head. "It doesn't matter."

Seeing that Tony was upset, Kelly's apprehension increased. "Tony, what's wrong with my son?"

Tony sighed and figured that honesty was best. "Mikey was having trouble breathing. I took him to the emergency room." Seeing Kelly start to panic, he said, quickly, "He's alive and he's doing okay for now."

"For now?" Kelly repeated, leaning back. "What's wrong with him?"

Tony sighed. "His throat was collapsing," Seeing Kelly starting to panic again, he quickly put a hand on Kelly's. "The doctors think Mikey is going to be okay. He's at Portsmouth and Ducky is keeping me updated." Looking Kelly in the eye, Tony asked, "Can I go on or are you going to start panicking again?"

Kelly took a deep breath and nodded. "Go ahead."

"Mikey is intubated right now," Tony went on, giving Kelly's hand a squeeze when he saw her take a deep breath again. "He's stable and hopefully he'll be okay in a few days."

"But?" Kelly asked, sensing that there was more to what was going on.

Tony's eyes were solemn as he said, "But his throat is weak. If Mikey has another throat collapse after they take the tube out, the doctors want to do something more… permanent."

Kelly sat up a bit and her voice was shaky as she said, "A tracheotomy." When Tony nodded, Kelly felt faint as she squeezed her husband's hand. "Please tell me there's no more bad news. Tell me that Mikey's going to be okay, otherwise."

"So far that's the worst of it," Tony assured her.

Desperate for a change of subject, Kelly asked, "How's Ziva?"

Tony sighed and shrugged. "Don't know. She's not talking about it. Not to me, not to Gibbs…"

"Well, can you blame her?" Kelly asked. But feeling sympathetic to her friend, she said, "I'll talk to Ziva. See if she'll talk to me."

"So what did you and Eli David talk about?" Tony asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Director David wants to patch things up with Ziva," Kelly replied. "I told his it's not likely. She's been hurt too much to…" Thinking for a few moments, she said, "I think that Eli David and Ziva just need to stay away from each other for right now. Ziva needs to just be with people she trusts and Eli needs to get his head out of his ass." Kelly started to say more but was stopped by the loud, deep yawn that escaped her.

Pulling Kelly's blankets up to her chin, Tony kissed his wife on the forehead before saying, "Get some sleep."

Kelly nodded and lay back, closing her eyes and after a few minutes, she fell asleep.

----------------

In his basement, Gibbs sat next to the workbench looking at the open floor. His boat, _Shannon_, was gone; now in the possession of his goddaughter—Mike Franks' granddaughter, Amira. Gibbs remembered the first time Kelly had come down the basement stairs to see what her daddy was working on. She's been 4—almost 5—and she'd spent the whole afternoon working with him, finally falling asleep under the boat frame, sneezing periodically from lying on the floor in the sawdust.

"Gibbs."

Looking up at the stairs, Gibbs saw Ziva coming down looking slightly nervous. "Ziva. Everything okay?"

"No," Ziva admitted, looking apprehensive. After a moment, she said, "I know how you feel about apologies. But I want to say that it is my fault Kelly was hurt. And that I am truly sorry about what happened."

"It's not your fault, Ziva," Gibbs said, gently. "Your father was the one who gave the order to kidnap Kelly. The guys who grabbed her are the ones who hurt her." Taking Ziva's arm, he led her over to the two sawhorses he used as seats and when they were sitting down, he said, "What's wrong, Ziva? Really?"

Ziva stood and started pacing. She did feel better about being back in the States but ever since her confrontation with her father, she felt on edge. "I have been… uneasy," she admitted. "I…"

"Ziva," Gibbs said as he stood and held her gently. "It's okay. You've told your father you're not going back. He can't force you." But Ziva looked doubtful. "Hey," Gibbs said, waiting until Ziva looked at him before speaking. "You've got your citizenship test in two months. Once you pass that, Eli David won't be able to do anything. Okay?"

"Okay," Ziva said, shakily.

* * *

_19 Years Ago_

_Every time Gibbs walked into his daughter's hospital room, he couldn't help feeling a stab of guilt as he saw his little girl lying in bed, her right leg in a cast almost up to her hip. "Hey, Sniper," Gibbs said as cheerfully as he could as he helped Kelly sit up more. "Guess what?"_

"_What?" Kelly said, quietly._

"_The doctors said you get to go home tomorrow," Gibbs replied._

_Kelly shrugged and looked away. "But Mommy won't be there," she said almost in a whisper._

"_No," Gibbs said, sitting down next to Kelly's bed. "It'll just be the two of us. And we need to talk about what's going to happen when you come home." _

_Kelly nodded, although she couldn't bear thinking about her mother not being there. _

_Gibbs took Kelly's hand and said, "You'll be in bed at home for a couple weeks but then you should be able to be up on crutches."_

"_What about you, Daddy?" Kelly asked, wondering. "When are you going to leave again?"_

_It was the one thing that Gibbs hadn't yet discussed with Kelly. Last month he'd had a long talk with his commanding officer and after a few days, Gibbs had started talking with Agent Mike Franks at the Naval Investigative Service. "I'm not leaving, Kelly."_

_Kelly sat up a bit more and looked her father in the eye. "What do you mean? Daddy, you said what you do with the Marines is important."_

"_It is," Gibbs replied, Kelly suddenly seeming older to him. "But right now taking care of you is more important. In a month or so, when you can get around better, I'll be working for the Naval Investigative Service."_

"_But you love being a Marine," Kelly protested. It was because of her… It was her fault her father was leaving the Marine Corps._

"_I love _you_ more," Gibbs insisted. "Kelly… I can't make up for being gone so long. But I promise we're not going to be apart so much anymore. Okay?"_

_Kelly nodded, lying back. Looking at her father, she asked, "Daddy?"_

"_Yeah, Sniper?" Gibbs replied, silently promising to give Kelly anything she asked for. _

"_Can I come to work with you sometimes?" Kelly asked, hopefully. _

_Gibbs smiled and gently hugged Kelly. "Sure thing, Sniper. Anything you want."_

* * *

_Present Day_

After a month in Bethesda, Kelly was ready to finally get home.

The morning she was to discharged, Kelly awoke to see Holly Mann, Ducky, and Palmer standing in the room. "Morning," she said, sitting up as two doctors and a nurse came into the room.

The nurse, Nora James, was pushing a wheelchair and parked it next to Kelly's bed. "Okay, Kelly. Just give us a moment to get you disconnected here."

Kelly nodded as one of the doctors and Ducky carefully held her right leg while the other doctor removed some of the parts from the traction rig. Once her leg was gently lowered onto the bed, Kelly carefully sat up, crying out slightly at the pain as her leg was jostled.

"It's okay, Kelly," Dr. Craig Brady said as he stood next to Kelly and carefully got a arm underneath her while putting another arm behind Kelly. "Okay, Kelly, I need you to put your arm around my neck." Looking at Ducky, He said, "Dr. Mallard, I need you to very carefully lift her right leg. On three. One… Two… Three."

Kelly dug the nails of her left hand into her palm as pain shot up and down her leg but once she was seated in the wheelchair, she relaxed a bit.

"Are you alright?" Ducky asked Kelly as Nurse James readjusted Kelly's leg on the footrest of the wheelchair.

"I'll be okay," Kelly insisted as she tried to deal with the pain.

"Your leg's going to be sensitive and sore for about another two months," Dr. Brady said as Holly grabbed Kelly's backpack. "And for the next 3 weeks you're to rest. After that you can be up and about more but you can't put any weight on your right leg. At least not for another 2 to 3 months. And you'll need to come back in 5 weeks for a cast check."

"Right," Kelly said, swallowing hard.

--

Out in the hospital parking lot, Holly led Kelly, Ducky and Palmer to her car. It took nearly 5 minutes to get Kelly settled in the backseat and once Kelly was secure, Holly drove towards Kelly and Tony's apartment. "Abby's planning a 'welcome home' party for you," Holly said, glancing in the rearview mirror.

"It'll be nice to be home," Kelly replied. "But it won't be any easier." Catching Holly's eye, she explained, "When I was 8 I was in the cast for more than 3 months. Even with physical therapy I was in a leg brace for almost 8 years. Almost half of that time I was using crutches."

Holly wasn't quite sure of what to say so she continued driving and after a few minutes, pulled into the parking lot of the apartment complex.

--

Inside the apartment, Abby helped Ziva finish getting the food ready and Gibbs and Tony were in the living room with the twins and Mikey who seemed to be breathing normally as he lay in the baby carrier.

When the apartment door opened, Tony stood, picking up Jen and turned to see—

"Franks!" Abby said, running over to the retired NCIS agent and giving him a hug. "So glad you could make it!"

Seeing Gibbs' surprised look, Mike Franks grinned and pulled out of Abby's embrace. "Got a call that Kelly was pretty laid up. Thought you could use a hand." Hearing footsteps behind him, he stepped aside to let a woman come past. "Or several."

Gibbs smiled at the sight of his goddaughter and her mother, Leila Shakarji. "Good to see you, Leilah. Hello, Amira," Gibbs added, taking the three-year-old from her mother. Turning to Tony who was walking over with Jen and Kate, Gibbs said, "You remember Tony. And the girls are my granddaughters, Jennifer and Caitlin."

Bending down and picking Kate up, Leila smiled. "They are beautiful. They look like their mother." Frowning slightly, she asked, "How is Kelly doing?"

Gibbs shrugged just as the apartment door opened again and Holly came in with Kelly.

"Kelly!" Abby said, giving her friend a hug.

"Hey, Abbs," Kelly replied, giving Abby a return hug. Wheeling herself forward, she saw Mike, Leila, and Amira. "You guys didn't have to come all the way here."

"We are here to help you," Leila insisted. "Whatever you need."

"Thanks," Kelly replied, grateful as Jen came toddling over.

"You sure you're okay, kid?" Mike asked as he picked Jen up.

"I'm fine," Kelly insisted.

"I made your favorites," Ziva said as she filled a platter with chicken wings. "Hickory smoked wings, pasta salad… those chorizo meatballs I made last Christmas." (A/N: If anyone wants my recipe for chorizo meatballs in tomato sauce, just ask. I'm happy to share.)

"Sounds great," Kelly said, happily as Tony set Kate down and wheeled Kelly towards the dining room table. "I'm starving."

"Then let's eat," McGee said as he opened a few bottles of wine and passed glasses around.

----

Around 7 that evening, Mike Franks headed home with Gibbs while Leila and Amira headed down the hall to Ziva's new apartment. After McGee left with Ducky, Tony put the kids to bed before helping Kelly into bed as well. Once Kelly was settled and her leg was well-cushioned by pillows, Tony sat down next to her and asked, "What is it?"

Kelly sighed, looking at her leg—the cast on the outside and the metal plates, screws, and pins inside holding the bones, ligaments, and joints together. "I'm scared, Tony." Looking up at her husband, she said, "It took me 10 years to recover from the accident. And what if it takes another 10 years to recover from this? Or more? What if there's permanent injury?"

"Then we'll deal with it then," Tony replied, calmly. After going to the other side of the bed and pulling off his shirt and pants, Tony got into bed and moved so he was sitting up next to Kelly. When he put his arm around her, she laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

* * *

_8 Weeks Later_

Dr. Garrett Marsh had a feeling of déjà vu when he entered the exam room and saw Kelly DiNozzo-Gibbs lying on the exam table, her right leg in a full length cast. Standing on either side of Kelly were her father and husband, and all three looked apprehensive.

Pulling out the x-rays that had been taken that morning, Gary snapped them into the light-panel on the wall and studied the bones of Kelly's leg.

"Well?" Kelly asked, hopefully.

"Everything's healing fine," Gary replied. "The bone is healed up pretty well, the hardware looks fine. Ready to get out of the cast?"

"Yeah," Kelly said as the doctor grabbed a vibration saw and started going down one side of the cast and then the other. Once the cast was removed, Gary gently took Kelly's leg and started flexing the knee and ankle. Once satisfied, he said, "Well, it looks like you're moving okay. How's the pain?"

Kelly shrugged. "Manageable."

Gary looked dubious but acquiesced. "I used the first cast as a mold for a leg and ankle brace. Once the brace is fitted you'll be able to start physical therapy." Looking at Kelly and Gibbs he added, "I'm hesitant to give a prognosis right now." Turning to Kelly he clarified. "Once you start therapy, then we'll see. But for now, just try to stay positive."

Kelly nodded, although she didn't feel very positive. The past month and half had been hard, even with Mike Franks and his family there to help. As she started to move about more, Kelly had felt more and more afraid. Memories of middle school started popping up and she had vivid flashbacks of trying to navigate the halls and stairs while on elbow crutches.

Reliving all that again was a horror Kelly couldn't even stand thinking about but at the same time, she knew that it was a distinct possibility.

"Hey," Gibbs said, taking Kelly's hand and giving it a comforting squeeze.

Kelly squeezed back, trying to push away her fears but it was hard. But at the same time, this wasn't like 20 years ago. Surgery had advanced and perhaps she actually would be fine. There was no way to say for certain.


	33. Take Your Kids To Work Day

AUTHOR'S NOTES: At the end of the chapter there's a nod to the crossover chapters I did with the show 'Saving Grace' but I also threw in a reference to another great crime show.

Enjoy!

NCIS-What Should Have Been: Take Your Kids To Work Day

* * *

_Washington DC_

_2020_

_-_

Early on a Friday morning, Kelly eyed her 12-year-old daughters and 10-year-old son carefully. Jen was wearing her favorite camouflage green top and blue jeans and Kate was wearing a striped red top with black jeans. While Jen had her hair in her usual braided pigtails, Kate's hair was down.

At the kitchen table Kelly's son, Mike, looked amused as he watched his mom looking over the twins.

"So, when we get to NCIS…" Kelly said, looking at the twins and watching for any tells that they were trying to fool her.

"I'm with Abby and Jen gets to hang with Ducky," Kate said, dejectedly, her hands in her pockets. "Why can't _I_ work with Ducky today?"

"Because you'd enjoy it too much," Kelly said, eying Kate shrewdly as they all got into the car. "You need to do something different. You think I liked going with your grandfather to work every day?"

"Yes," came the reply from Kate, Jen, and Mike.

"Come on," Kelly said, standing slowly and leaning on a cane. "We've got to get going."

Yawning, Jen asked, "Do you leave this early every morning?"

"Pretty much," Kelly replied as they all got in the car.

"That sucks," Mike said, his voice hoarse as Kelly pulled out of the garage of the house and headed down the road.

-------

Driving down to NCIS headquarters, Kelly thought about the past 10 years. Surprisingly, her leg had healed from the injuries sustained in a kidnapping orchestrated by Ziva's father, former Mossad Director Eli David. But over the past few years, the arthritis in her knee had been getting worse and worse. When Kelly started having severe pain in her knee and ankle, Ducky had said that she might need to start using some sort of support.

When she heard quiet laughter, Kelly smiled lightly as she glanced at the rearview mirror and saw Jen and Kate grinning about something. Next to his sisters, Mike was just sitting quietly, but there was a knowing grin on his face. Despite being younger and born prematurely, Mike was a tough kid and rarely let his sisters get under his skin. But unlike Jen and Kate, Mike was also quiet, preferring to sneak around, something Kelly was sure his 'Aunt' Ziva had taught him.

The quietness was not only due to Mike's nature and age, but also due to the fact that since he was a baby, he'd had throat trouble. Sore throats were a common complaint and three times in the past year, Mike's throat had started swelling severely, making it difficult for him to breathe. The last time it had happened, Mike had collapsed on the school bus and paramedics had been forced to intubate to keep him breathing.

As Kelly glanced in the rearview mirror again, she noticed that Jen and Kate were no longer whispering to themselves and were now holding a conversation with Mike in sign language. Due to her son's constant sore throats, usually accompanied by severe laryngitis, Kelly had taught him sign language with Abby's help. The only problem was that often other people—particularly his schoolmates and some of his teachers at first—had the mistaken impression that Mike was deaf.

-------

Pulling into the parking lot of NCIS and parking in her usual spot, Kelly glanced in the rearview mirror once more as Jen, Kate, and Mike got out, grabbing their backpacks. Getting out of the car herself, Kelly looked up at the NCIS building, reminiscing. She could still remember when this building seemed bigger.

But that was a lifetime ago.

Escorting her children into the building, Kelly caught a glimpse of Jen pulling a loose lock of hair behind her ear, exposing a discolored spot beneath her left ear. "Hold it," Kelly said, shortly as her kids were about to go through the metal detectors.

Jen and Kate stopped, looking caught, but Mike looked amused as he put his bag on the conveyor belt and walked through the metal detector. **'I told you guys it wouldn't work,'** Mike signed, grinning.

"Kate…" Kelly said, looking at the girls. She'd had a sneaking suspicion that they'd try disguising them selves as one another, but as always, Kate's birthmark had been the giveaway.

Kate sighed and rubbed her neck, wiping away the makeup she'd used to cover the birthmark below her left ear. "Sorry, Mom."

"You actually thought you could fool me?" Kelly said, looking at her twins, trying to look a bit stern, even though she was hiding a smile when she noticed the slightly off color of the birthmark.

"It was her idea!" Jen and Kate said together, each pointing to the other.

"I don't care!" Kelly snapped, with more sharpness than she'd intended.

"Sorry, Mom," Jen said, quietly.

"Yeah," Kate said as well as she and Jen went through the metal detector.

Walking through the employee gateway, Kelly felt a pang of regret as she saw the twins' fallen faces.

Watching Kelly DiNozzo, one of the security officers said quietly, "Little hard on them, weren't you, Director?"

Kelly sighed as she watched her kids head up the stairs towards the squad room. "Yeah…" She said, dismally as she followed her children to the squad room.

---

"Morning, Director," McGee said, standing when Kelly walked into the squad room.

"McGee…" Kelly said with a warm smile. "Where's Tony?"

"Uh, he is going for coffee, boss," McGee said, quickly. "Director… Ma'am."

"Tim," Kelly said, still smiling. "Relax."

"Sorry," McGee said, smiling nervously.

Turning to Jen, Kate, and Mike, Kelly studied them. She knew where her children's passions lay and she wanted dearly to break the cycle of nepotism. But at the same time she knew that she had to let them do what they wanted so they could find their own passions. "Caitlin, Jennifer…"

"I know, I know…" Kate said, dismally. "Abby's lab."

"No…" Kelly said with a warm smile. "Ducky."

Kate looked hesitant and exchanging glances with Jen. "Uh, Mom?"

But Kelly just smiled. "You're with Abby, _Jen_."

Jen shook her head. "How did you know?"

"I'm your mother," Kelly replied with a knowing grin. "Plus, I noticed the discolored birthmark." Jen rubbed the spot she'd drawn on her neck the previous night, Kelly went on. "Jen, Abby's lab. Kate, Autopsy." Looking at Mike, Kelly said, "Mike… with me."

As Jen and Kate headed downstairs to the realms of Abby Scuito and Dr. Donald 'Ducky' Mallard, Mike followed his mother upstairs to the Director's office.

In the office, Mike looked at the portraits on the wall. There was a woman with blonde hair and a brilliant smile he recognized as Agent Paula Cassidy. A redheaded woman with a slightly devilish smile and sparkling brown eyes he knew was previous NCIS Director Jenny Sheppard. There was also Special Agent Caitlin Todd, FBI Agent Tobias Fornell… Mike knew about Director Sheppard and Agent Todd. After all, his sisters were named after the two women. But there was something in Kate Todd's eyes that reminded him of Jen. Just like Jenny Sheppard's smile was the same as Kate's when she was doing something she shouldn't.

Mike's eyes stopped roaming when he saw a picture of an older man with gray hair and his mother's blue eyes. **'How's Grandpa?'** Mike asked, turning to his mother.

"Last I heard, he and Holly were still in Paris." Kelly replied as Mike sat down on the other side of the desk. "What's up?"

Mike knew better than to try and pull something with his mother. While his father and the girls were close, Mike had always felt closest to his mother. Hoarsely, he asked aloud, "Can we talk?"

"About what?" Kelly asked as she looked over the files on her desk, keeping an eye on Mike in case he switched to signing.

"Anything," Mike replied, looking at the pictures on his mother's desk before giving Kelly his full attention.

Kelly looked at Mike, feeling a flash of déjà vu. Remembering sitting in her father's cubicle when she was a kid, asking her father if they could talk, Kelly leaned back in her chair. With her father, talking had always meant a one-on-one conversation where each person focused on the other with full attention. Even when she and Gibbs had been working on a boat frame, the work was so natural, that only rarely did they pause in the work when they talked.

Thinking back 3 years ago when Leon Vance had stepped down as Director of NCIS, Kelly had stepped up to take the position, citing Jenny Sheppard's recommendation for the position as a reference. But looking back, Kelly always wondered if the rise in position had affected her as a mother. If she'd started neglecting her children… Reaching for a subject, Kelly finally asked, "So what do you want to do when you grow up?"

Mike grinned. There was one thing he'd always loved, ever since he could walk. **'I want to do woodwork,'** he signed, eagerly.

It was so mundane that Kelly had to laugh.

----------------

When the doors to Autopsy opened, Kate looked around. The room was clean and bright and sparse. On one of the tables, Kate imagined a body, shrouded with a white sheet—alone and needing identification. Or some poor soul caught in a web of murder and motive needing justice. As she started towards the table, Kate stopped when the autopsy doors slid open.

"Good morning, Jennifer," Ducky said as he came in behind her. "I'm surprised to see you here," he added, going to hang up his hat and coat and pull on scrubs. "I thought for sure Caitlin would be here. You know, your sister reminds me of my previous assistant, James Palmer. Bright young man. Sadly, he was lured away from NCIS by the Jeffersonian Institute's Forensic Anthropologist—"

"Dr. Temperance Booth," Kate finished, making a small quacking noise when Ducky turned to face her.

"You are not Jennifer," Ducky said with a bemused smile. For some reason, Kate was the only person he'd ever actually allowed to quack at him. Not even Jen and Mike were permitted to do that.

"No," Kate replied. "Jen's with Abby."

Going to the body cooler, Ducky pulled out the first body—that of a woman in her 30's—of the day. "Well, pull on a pair of gloves and let's figure out how this poor woman died, shall we?"

Kate pulled on gloves and one of the face shields and stood next to Ducky as he started the Y-incision.

----------------

Jen walked into the forensics lab, smiling when she heard 'Who We Are' by Hope Partlow blaring over the stereo speakers. It was an older song, but when Jen had gone through her mother's old rock music, she thought it fit Abby perfectly.

"Jenny!" Abby exclaimed happily, rushing over and hugging Kelly's daughter. "I thought you were with Ducky today. I mean not that it matters, really. But I thought Kate was going to be here because she really likes Autopsy and she wants to be a medical examiner when she grows up. And Kelly doesn't really like that, I don't know why. Maybe it has something to do with when your mom was held hostage in Autopsy by Ziva's half brother."

"Abby!" Jen laughed, looking at the forensic scientist. "One word: DECAF!"

"I'm just so happy you're here!" Abby said, bouncing around. "Your dad's on a case so we've got tons of evidence to process."

"Then let's get to it," Jen replied as she grabbed gloves and pulled them on.

----------

When Kelly went to MTAC to deal with the latest terrorist problem, Mike got on his mother's computer and brought up the internet browser. After coming home from the hospital after his latest throat collapse, he'd over heard his parents talking a 'trake'… or something like that. After a minute or two of looking through the search results, Mike pulled up one of the medical articles and started reading. After going through a few more articles, Mike got up and paced around the office. When was _he_ going to be told about this? Did Jen and Kate know about this?

As Mike's mind started spinning, he wasn't aware of his breathing becoming faster until he felt his throat start to constrict. Panic gripped him as he tried to mentally will his breathing to slow. Hearing someone come in, Mike gasped, "Help…" before collapsing on the floor.

-------

"Ewww!" Kate said, looking at the dead woman's liver as Ducky removed it from the body. "Is that supposed to be that color?"

Ducky started to answer when the phone rang. "Oh, sorry. Caitlin, do me a favor and answer that for me, will you?"

Kate stripped her gloves off and grabbed the phone, and before she heard her father's panicked voice. "Get Ducky up here now! Mike's not breathing!"

"Ducky!" Kate shouted, dropping the phone. "Mike can't breathe!"

Abandoning his cadaver, Ducky ripped his gloves off before grabbing new ones and grabbing the special kit he'd prepared years ago. Hurrying up the stairs, Ducky and Kate burst in to Kelly's office where Ziva was giving Mike mouth to mouth while Tony and Kelly knelt next to their son.

"Move over," Ducky said, brusquely, as he knelt down behind Mike's head, withdrawing the intubation kit from his bag. Looking through the scope at Mike's throat, he asked, "Did you call an ambulance, Anthony?"

"I did," Ziva said, nodding. "They'll be here in a few minutes."

"Michael may not be able to wait that long," Ducky said, softly, as he saw how narrow Mike's throat was. Grabbing the smallest tube he had, Ducky tried again to get the tube down the young boy's throat. He tried to block out Kelly's sobs, Kate's frantic questions about her brother… Finally, Ducky felt the tube slide through the swelling and he pulled the guide wire and the scope out, grabbing the ambu bag and attaching it to the tube and squeezing evenly.

After a minute, Mike let out a soft moan and his eyes slowly opened. Looking around at his parents and sister, the sides of Mike's mouth twitched and he weakly raised a hand in an 'ok' sign.

Kelly gave a relieved half laugh-half sob as Tony hugged her.

-------------------

Sitting in the surgical waiting room, Kelly was a mess. Tony and Kate were in the hospital cafeteria with Jen who was thoroughly pissed off that no one had told her that Mike had once gain gone into respiratory arrest. Head in her hands, Kelly let out a deep breath. She'd called Gibbs and Holly who were coming back as soon as they could get a flight out of Paris.

And Callen was flying in from Los Angeles.

"Coffee?"

Kelly looked up and almost laughed when she saw Earl the angel sitting next to her holding a coffee cup out to her. "What are you doing here?"

Earl shrugged as Kelly took the cup of coffee and sipped. "Figured you could use the company." Glancing at the operating room, he added, "Don't worry about Mikey. He's not alone, either."

"My Mom?" Kelly asked, sipping the coffee. Damn… she was going to have to ask Earl to bring some more of this next time.

"And Jenny Sheppard," Earl added, nodding. "And Kate Todd… Paula Cassidy… and Mike Franks."

Kelly smiled as she thought of her father's old boss and mentor. Two years ago, Mike Franks had passed away, lying in his hammock, the sun setting on another beautiful day in Mexico. "Amira and Leila just moved next door to Ziva. Mike's in love with Amira. He says she's got the most beautiful voice he ever heard." Seeing Earl grin knowingly, she asked, "What?"

"Oh, nothing," Earl replied, shrugged. "By the way… Grace and Ham named their new daughter after you."

"You're kidding," Kelly said, a bit surprised. "Is she anything like Grace?"

"I think she's going to end up more like you," Earl said, unfurling his wings and vanishing.

-------------

When Mike woke up in the ICU, he saw Kate giving him a relieved smile. But when he turned to Jen, her eyes were filled with angry tears as she punched him in the upper arm before giving him a hug. "Don't _EVER_ scare me like that _again_, Michael Franklin DiNozzo!" Jen shouted.

When Jen let go of Mike, Kate asked, "How's the trach tube feel?"

'**Fine,'** Mike replied, shrugging. **'How's Mom doing?'**

"Better," Kate admitted. Seeing her brother's look she added, "Mom's been worried about you ever since the last time you collapsed. She knows there's still a chance you could have problems later, but…" Giving her brother a serious look, she said, "This is a permanent thing, okay? Until the doctors can keep your throat from collapsing, you're going to have the trach tube in."

"And it'll be hard at school, okay?" Jen added. "I know you get teased enough already. But if anyone starts giving you a hard time just tell us, okay? We'll take care of them for you."

Mike grinned and signed, **'With sisters like you, who needs bodyguards?'**


	34. Intermission Part 3

AUTHOR'S NOTES: I'm getting ready to work on the last three episodes for season 7 with this storyline and if you thought the actual episodes were doozies, I'm hoping my rewriting will make them even better. In the meantime I decided to post this chapter with a few little scenes that were rattling around in my brain.

As far as the music mentioned in this chapter the song 'Scolding Wife' belongs to the band Great Big Sea and has always made me think of Gibbs. The song 'Cows With Guns' belongs to Dana Lyons and if you've never listened to it, give it a try.

Also, the cocktail I mention (the Long Hot Night) is a bourbon cocktail made with 2 oz. bourbon, 3 oz. pineapple juice, and 3 oz. cranberry juice cocktail.

Read, review, and show your love!

* * *

NCIS: What Should Have Been—Intermission #3

* * *

_(Early 3__rd__ season)_

Two days after Ziva David joined NCIS, Gibbs and Kelly headed into NCIS although Kelly was unusually quiet as she grabbed her backpack and computer out of the car. "Are you going to say anything?" Gibbs asked as he led the way towards the metal detectors and waited until Kelly was cleared.

But Kelly didn't say a word until she and her father were in the elevator heading up to the squad room. When the elevator neared their level, Kelly stopped it and turned to face her father, her blue eyes ablaze. "Kate has been dead only a month and you replace her."

"Kelly," Gibbs said, weariness in his voice. This wasn't the first time they'd had this argument and he knew it was unlikely to be the last.

"And—" Kelly went on, ignoring her father. "Just to twist the knife a little bit more—you hire the half-sister of the freakin' sociopath who put a bullet through Kate's head!" Hands on her hips, Kelly faced off with her father. "I know you're stoic… I know you're not one for showing emotion… But I had no idea that you were that heartless."

"What did you just say to me, young lady?" Gibbs said, taking offense at the phrasing.

"You heard me," Kelly said, not backing down. "The past two weeks… It's like Kate never existed. You give Tony and McGee a look when they mention her. Yesterday, you called Abby on why she was playing the dirge music in her lab. You want to move on, Dad? Fine. But the rest of us with real human feelings need to deal with them." Turning the elevator back on, Kelly continued silently fuming until the elevator opened up and she stepped into the squad room, stopping dead when she saw the desk arrangement. Pointing to Ziva who was sitting across from Tony, Kelly turned back to her father. "Kate's _desk_?" Waiting until Gibbs looked at her, Kelly said, "Kate's place on the team… her desk…" Raising her right hand as if she wanted to strike her father, Kelly fought the tears threatening to build up and Kelly closed her fist, biting her lip against all the terrible things she wanted to shout at her father, at Ziva… and at the bastard who'd killed Kate. Turning away, Kelly stormed over to the empty desk at the end and dumped her stuff before going back to the elevator.

* * *

_(Under Covers)_

In an Italian-Mexican fusion restaurant, Toscana Southwest, Kelly smiled as she sat opposite Joe Spano, one of the baristas at her favorite coffee shop, Sparky's. "Glad you could get the night off, Joe," Kelly said with a smile as she sipped her cocktail (a Long Hot Night).

"Well, to be honest I almost didn't," Joe admitted with a grin and he sipped his rum and Coke. "But I told my boss that the caffeine addicts of DC would just have to suffer for a night."

Kelly started to reply when her phone rang. Looking up apologetically, she checked the caller ID and sighed when she saw it was her father.

"Something wrong?" Joe asked, looking at Kelly about to take the call.

"No," Kelly replied, firmly as she smiled and turned her phone off. "Nope, everything's fine."

xxxxxxxxxx

At NCIS, in Autopsy, Gibbs grumbled as—for the 5th time—Kelly's cell phone went straight to voicemail.

"Is it possible, Jethro—" Ducky said as he studied the bodies of deceased assassins Jean-Paul and Sophie Ranier. "—that Kelly is avoiding your calls for a reason?"

"Need everyone on board on this, Duck," Gibbs explained. "If these two were hired to hit someone at the Marine Corps Birthday Ball we need to know everything we can." Thinking for a moment, Gibbs asked, "Did Kelly tell you where she'd be tonight? Maddie said she went out."

Ducky gave Gibbs a look as he said, "No, she didn't, Jethro. And before you ask… No, I wouldn't tell you if she did." When Gibbs looked surprised at that, Ducky sighed. "The poor girl needs to have a life, Jethro."

"Yeah, I know, Duck," Gibbs said, heading for the door.

"No, I don't think you actually _do_ know," Ducky said, walking away from the bodies and stripping off his gloves. When Gibbs turned to face him, Ducky went on. "You depend on Kelly as an unofficial agent. Someone who obeys _your _rules but _not_ necessarily the rules of others." Pausing a moment, Ducky added, "Kelly wants to have her own life. You should allow her to—"

"Every year, since she turned 18, Kelly has gone to the Marine Corps Ball, Duck," Gibbs explained. "This year, she's meeting a PFC Eric Nichols at the Barkley Hotel." Seeing that Ducky understood, Gibbs said, "I don't want her anywhere near that hotel until this thing is resolved."

"Understood, Jethro," Ducky replied, nodding as he donned a new pair of gloves and started working again.

xxxxxxxxxxx

After finishing the case, Kelly quick ducked home to get changed. Going to the back of her closet, she pulled out the evening gown she only wore one night a year. It was a sleeveless satin gown with spaghetti straps in navy blue with thin red stripes running down the sides. The dress hadn't been cheap but Kelly had to have it since the colors matched her father's old Marine dress blues.

After pulling her hair back on a simple knot and doing a bit of make-up, Kelly put on the horseshoe necklace from her mother (which had been rescued and engraved by Tony a few months ago). Grabbing her handbag and keys, Kelly stopped back at NCIS since Ducky and Jen were escorting her to the Marine Corps Birthday Ball.

x

When Gibbs saw his little girl glide into the squad room, he suddenly flashed back to meeting Shannon at the ball. Her hair was done the same way and Shannon wore a navy and red dress…

After Abby, Ziva, and McGee had helped Tony out of the room, Jen and Ducky following, Kelly walked up to the father and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Happy birthday, Daddy."

Gibbs watched Kelly head off and after sitting back down at his desk he pulled an old metal flask out of his drawer and studied it under the light from the desk lamp. At the top was the emblem of the United States Marine Corps and below were engraved the words: _Jethro, for good luck. Love Shannon and Kelly._ Running his thumb over the names, Gibbs said, quietly, "I miss you, Shannon." He unscrewed the top and as he raised the flask to his lips he said, firmly, "Semper Fi."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_(Ex-File)_

Even though Kelly already had an MP3 player, getting a brand-new iPod from Abby was an unexpected delight. After arriving at NCIS, she put the earbuds in and put the music on random, grinning as one her unconventional favorites came on. Getting into the elevator, she started singing to the music, not even stopping when she got to the squad room. "We will fight for bovine freedom and hold our large heads high. We will run free with the buffalo or die. Cows with guns."

"Cows have guns now?" Ziva asked, making Kelly jump in surprise as she yanked the earbuds from her ears.

"And that is why I am going vegetarian. Although how exactly would a cow hold a gun?" Tony asked as he came in, grinning as he removed his own headphones. "Last I checked hooves were not really suited to hold firearms." Putting away his own iPod, he snuck over to Kelly and tapped her on the left shoulder before reaching around to her right side and snatching the iPod out of her hand.

"Hey, give it!" Kelly said, annoyed as Tony ran to his desk, Ziva and McGee crowding around him.

"Let's just see what other little oddities our Junior Gibbs listens to," Tony said with a smile as he brought up Kelly's playlist and started to run through some of the songs. "Country, Rock… Older Rock…" But Tony, McGee, and Ziva paused in their perusal of Kelly's music when they heard Gibbs come in, exchanging looks when they heard something that sounded vaguely Irish from the iPod Gibbs was listening to.

"_Well, I came into a scolding wife_

_A few short years ago_

_And ever since I lead a life_

_Of misery and woe_

_My wife she is a tyrant around the room and in_

_I should sell her to the Devil for a glass or two of gin"_

"Boss?" Tony asked, not quite sure of what to make of Gibbs' music tastes.

Turning the player off, Gibbs looked at his team. "Don't look at me, DiNozzo," he said, putting the iPod away. "Kelly's the one who loaded the music onto the thing." Looking at his daughter, he asked, "By the way… How did cows get guns anyway?"

* * *

_(Mid 7__th__ season)_

The old hacienda that now house NCIS's Office of Special Projects seemed unassuming if you didn't know what to look for. And as Kelly glanced around, she saw the security cameras all around focusing on her. Hesitantly, she approached the main door and placed her hand on a section of the wall which served as a hidden palm scanner, and after a second's pause, she heard the electronic door locks disengage.

Once inside, she was greeted by a diminutive woman wearing a navy suit and Harry Potter-style glasses. "Ahh, Miss Gibbs I presume," the woman said with a smile.

"Hetty Lange," Kelly said with a smile as she held out a hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, finally."

"I assure you, Miss Gibbs," Hetty said, shaking the younger woman's hand and leading her further inside. "The pleasure is all mine. Your father, after all, is something of a legend with NCIS." At her office, Hetty gestured for Kelly to sit down before making a pot of tea. "Now tell me… What brings you all the way out here?"

"Callen," Kelly replied, succinctly. "I needed to talk to him."

Hetty nodded as she put sugar at the bottom of one cup. "And the subject is _not_ something to be discussed over the phone?"

"No," Kelly replied. "We had…"

Seeing that Kelly was going to start talking, the older woman waved away the words. "You need not explain to me, Miss Gibbs. I know all too well about trysts and love triangles." Pouring tea, she handed the cup with sugar to Kelly before pouring a cup for herself. "As I understand it, you said good-bye to Callen before. So this visit is to inform Mr. Callen of…?" Hetty studied Kelly's face and again nodded in understanding. "I presume that your stay here is only temporary?"

"Few days," Kelly said, sipping her tea. "Then I'm stopping in Oklahoma for a few days to see a friend."

"Sam said you needed to see me, Hetty?" Callen said, coming up to the desk and stopping when he saw Kelly.

"Yes, I did, Mr. Callen," Hetty said, covering the awkward silence that settled between Callen and Kelly. "But that can wait until after you talk with Miss Gibbs."

"Um, is there somewhere we can…?" Kelly started to say, not really wanting to spill everything in front of Hetty.

"Yeah," Callen said, unsure of what Kelly was doing here. Was Gibbs in trouble or something?

x

In the boat house that served as interview room and interrogation, Callen stood, waiting, for Kelly to talk. "What's going on, Kel?"

Not mincing words, Kelly looked Callen in the eye and said, "You have a son."

For a while, Callen could do nothing but stare in disbelief. When he finally found his voice, he said, "What, uh…?"

"His name in Michael," Kelly replied. "Middle name Franklin."

"Named after Mike Franks," Callen deduced. Feeling a little hurt, he asked, "Why not name him after me?"

"Don't know your first name," Kelly said with a shrug.

"That's cold, Kelly," Callen replied. Walking around the table, he asked, "Does he look like DiNozzo?"

"A bit," Kelly said, pulling out a picture of Mike. "He was born premature but when I left DC he seemed to be doing okay."

Callen looked at the picture of his child before looking back at Kelly. "What do you want from me, Kelly?" Callen asked, not sure what to make of all this. "Child support?"

"I wanted you to know," Kelly said, crossing her arms. "I thought you should know and I thought you deserved to hear it from me in person." Relaxing ever so slightly, she said, "I don't want anything from you, Callen. If you want to be involved in your son's life… That's fine. But I'm staying with Tony."

Callen nodded. "Understood." Handing the picture back, he said, "He's a good looking kid." When Kelly left the boat house, he looked up at the security camera. Hetty had probably been watching. Maybe even Nate, as well. Sighing, he turned and left the boat house."

x

In the situation room, Hetty turned to Nate. She knew that Callen knew they'd been watching and listening. With a wry smile, Hetty said, "And you asked me why I don't indulge in soap operas."

"Right," Nate said, with a nod.


	35. My Little Girl Part 2

AUTHOR'S NOTES: The chapter which will encompass episodes 'Borderland', 'Patriot Down', and 'Rule 51' IS coming! But since I want to have everything in one chapter, it's taking a while. It WILL be worth the wait. I promise.

In the meantime, a few more flashback scenes including two which are relevant to the future chapter. Also, for readers who were miffed I left the wedding out of chapter 15 'Heartland' I threw it in here.

* * *

___NCIS: WSHB—My Little Girl part 2_

Gibbs was exhausted when he finally got home. The past few days all he could think about was his family and even the plane ride to DC seemed even longer than usual. Driving down the road, he thought of his wife and child. Shannon and his 3-year-old daughter, Kelly had waved good-bye as he'd left last time and even though Gibbs had tried to be the big, strong Marine that he was, a small part of him wanted to match Kelly tear for tear as she cried.

Opening the door of the house, Gibbs had barely managed to step inside when something pink came flying towards him and latched onto his leg. "DADDY! MINE!" Kelly screamed at the top of her lungs.

"She's hit the 'mine' stage," Shannon said as she walked into to the room as Gibbs made his way to the living room, Kelly still holding onto his leg for dear life.

But when Shannon went to give Gibbs a hug and kiss, Kelly cried angrily, "No! MY Daddy! Mine!"

Gibbs bent down and tried to pick Kelly up but she wouldn't let go. "Kelly, let go," Gibbs said, calmly. While he was staring in amusement at Kelly, he could also feel her grip tightening and the last thing he needed was his 3-year-old cutting off his circulation.

"No!" Kelly replied, firmly, her face pressed against the leg of his pants. She could smell sand something else but that didn't really matter. All that mattered was that her Daddy was home with her and she would never, never, never let him leave again. "Daddy, no go!"

"I'm not going anywhere, Sniper," Gibbs replied, using the nickname he'd given his baby girl the last time he was home after she'd very quietly aimed several toys—and a handful of Cheerios—at him. When he picked her up, he was only slightly surprised when Kelly gripped his neck as firmly as she'd gripped his leg. Looking at Shannon, he asked, "How long does this phase last?"

As Shannon tried to give Gibbs a kiss again, she stopped when Kelly tried to push her mother's face away, screeching, "NO! MINE!"

Shannon tried to hide a smile as she said to Kelly, "You don't want to share Daddy?"

"No!" Kelly shouted again, tightening her grip.

"Kelly, Sniper," Gibbs said, carefully. "Daddy can't breathe."

"Come on, Kelly," Shannon said, coaxingly. "Nap time."

"No go," Kelly pouted, giving her best frowny face.

"I'm not going anywhere, Sniper," Gibbs promised, carefully trying to remove Kelly's arms from his neck.

"Daddy no go?" Kelly asked, not letting go until she knew her Daddy wasn't going anywhere without her.

"Daddy's not going anywhere right now, Kelly," Shannon said, assuringly.

"Okay," Kelly said warily, relaxing her grip on her father. But when Gibbs went to hand Kelly off, Kelly's grip tightened again. "MY DADDY!" She screamed.

Suppressing an exasperated sigh, Shannon let Gibbs take Kelly upstairs for her nap.

* * *

_5 Years Later_

_Mexico_

Gibbs had scoped out the ridge a day ahead and had found the perfect spot overlooking the village. The road below was about 1000 meters away and in the territory of known drug cartels. Glancing at his watch, Gibbs went to the jeep and grabbed his sniper rifle, making sure everything was in order.

He wasn't too worried about being seen. Between the desert camo he wore and how high the sun was, anyone looking up wouldn't see him clearly.

As the time grew closer, Gibbs got into position and waited.

He thought about Shannon. Seeing her in the storefront window in Stillwater, the first time they spoke… their first kiss… the day they married…

The day Kelly was born.

Gibbs thought about his daughter as he waited for Hernandez. She would take a long time to heal, both from the accident only a week ago and from her mother's death.

After today, it would be over. Gibbs couldn't go back to the Marines. Every time he'd hold his rifle, he'd remember this moment. He'd talk to Special Agent Franks when he got back. Maybe joining NIS and being a cop would help him get over the guilt he felt for not being there for his family when they'd needed him the most.

Gibbs stiffened as he caught sight of movement. Focusing, he followed Hernandez through the scope on his sniper rifle and after a moment to figure the shot, he pulled the trigger and for a brief moment, felt justified.

As he watched the truck crash, Gibbs felt himself swallowed up by memories of Shannon and Kelly and as he rolled over onto his back he let out an anguished scream. Lying against the rock and dirt, he felt the tears fall and he didn't even bother wiping them away as he slowly stood, policing his brass. But as he put the rifle back in the Jeep, Gibbs pulled out an unspent bullet and after a moment, he let it fall to the ground. If anyone found Hernandez's body, let them find out that it was a sniper. Guy had plenty of enemies. The murder would be pinned on one of them and that would be the end of it.

Without a second thought, Gibbs packed up and drove off.

* * *

_2 Years Later_

Even though it was the middle of the night, Gibbs was up like a shot when he heard Kelly cry out. Racing to her bedroom and snapping on the light, Gibbs saw Kelly sitting up in bed hugging the stuffed rabbit Shannon had given her for her 7th birthday and crying.

"Kelly, what's wrong?" Gibbs said as he sat down next to his little girl, being careful of her right leg. Pulling her into a hug, he waited for Kelly to stop crying before asking again.

"I-I saw him again," Kelly sniffled, holding onto her father and the stuffed rabbit. "He killed Mommy with a knife… then he came after me." Looking up at her father she asked, "What if he comes after me again?"

Gibbs didn't have to ask who 'he' was. He knew who Kelly was afraid of. But every time he assured her she didn't have to be scared anymore she always countered with the fact that—as far as she knew—Pedro Hernandez was still out there and might come after her. "Kelly… he can't hurt anyone anymore."

"You don't know that, Dad," Kelly sniffed.

"Yes, I do," Gibbs said, quietly. After a moment, he said, "I…"

Kelly looked at her father and after a few moments, she started to understand what he wasn't saying. "You killed him… didn't you?" When Gibbs didn't answer right away she pulled out of her father's embrace a bit. "Didn't you, Dad?"

Gibbs wasn't sure what exactly the look in Kelly's eyes was: fear, anger… sadness? But he knew that now he had to be fully honest. "It was during the few days I was gone after…"

Kelly hugged the stuffed animal tighter as she studied Gibbs. "Did you shoot him?" When he nodded, Kelly asked, "Face to face?" When Gibbs shook his head, Kelly remained silent for a while before saying, "Dad, promise me something."

"Kelly," Gibbs started, knowing what she was going to make him promise.

"No, Dad," Kelly replied, firmly. "No excuses or explanations. Promise me you won't go off on your own like that again."

Gibbs sighed and nodded reluctantly. "Promise. Think you can go back to sleep?"

Kelly nodded and carefully scooted back under the covers and closed her eyes.

As Gibbs tucked his little girl in again, he prayed that she'd never find out that Hernandez was one of the few people he'd shot that he'd never lost sleep over.

* * *

_6 Years Later_

Gibbs had been dreading this moment ever since he'd first held Kelly in his arms. He wished that Shannon was here to help him through this but she was gone, leaving Gibbs to deal with the situation on his own.

Taking a deep breath and making his expression as stern as possible, he opened the door…

…and studied the young man was there to take Kelly out on her first date.

Jake Norton looked nervous as Gibbs silently invited him into the house and—with a nod of the head—indicated that he should have a seat on the couch. "K-Kelly and I are going to the movies. Uh… I borrowed my Dad's car. With his permission, of course. I, uh…" Jake dug out his wallet and pulled out his brand new driver's license. "I am a licensed driver and, uh… Uh, I will have Kelly back no later, than, uh… than 11."

"10," Gibbs said, his tone and piercing stare making it clear that it was not a discussion.

"10," Jake said, nodding. "Yes, sir."

"Dinner?" Gibbs asked, sticking to one word questions. In the back of his mind, he wondered if it was wrong to be amused by the young man's nervousness.

"Uh, just a burger or… something," Jake said, trying to calm down. "The movie is, uh, _Elizabeth_. W-we're seeing it for extra credit for English class."

"Mm-hmm," Gibbs said with the slightest of nods. After a moment, he said, "Wait right here."

"Yes, sir," Jake said, quickly, letting out a sigh of relief as soon as Gibbs was out of the room. When he came back followed by Kelly who waited in the doorway, Jake felt more nervous than before as he stood.

Gibbs pulled Jake off to the side and waited until the young man looked him in the eye. "Kelly is my only daughter," Gibbs said, his tone low and even. "If you hurt her, you will regret it. If you have any thought about hugging… making out… ask Kelly what I used to do for a living."

Jake nodded and once he and Kelly were heading to the movie theater, he asked, "Kelly, um… W-What did your dad do before NCIS."

Kelly looked puzzled but she said, "Dad was in the Marine Corps. A sniper, why?"

Jake swallowed hard and made a personal promise not to date a sniper's daughter ever again.

* * *

_12 Years Later_

In the time it had taken for Ducky to drive from DC, Kelly and Tony had selected rings and Kelly was now wearing a light blue sundress and white sandals.

"Surely, you weren't going to try and get married without me, were you?" Ducky said as he met Kelly outside the church.

"Unthinkable, Ducky," Kelly said, giving the ME a kiss on the cheek. Looking at her watch, she said, "Wedding is in a couple hours."

"Nervous, my dear?" Ducky asked as he took Kelly's arm and headed inside.

"Not really," Kelly replied, honestly.

Later that afternoon, as he watched his only little girl hold hands with the father of her children, Gibbs couldn't help thinking of years ago when Kelly would have pretend weddings using her GI Joe and Strawberry Shortcake dolls.

Now Kelly was getting married.

"She looks beautiful, Jethro," Shannon said as she appeared next to Gibbs in the pew of the church. "It's hard to believe our little girl is grown up. Although there were times I was worried about whether you'd actually let Kelly grow up."

"…take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?" The priest said, looking at Tony.

Tony looked into Kelly's blue eyes and smiled as he said, "I do."

The priest turned to Tony and Kelly and said, "Please exchange rings and repeat after me."

Tony took the thin gold wedding band and waited until the priest prompted him. "I, Anthony DiNozzo, pledge my life and love only to you. In sickness and health, for worse or for better. I swear in the presence of family, friends, and God that you will, now and forever, be my one true love." When he finished, he slid the ring onto Kelly's finger and grinned broadly.

As Kelly recited the wedding vows, she glanced over at her father and smiled when she saw her mother's—ghost? Spirit?—sitting next to him. After putting a thicker, matching gold band on Tony's hand, Kelly waited until the priest said, "You may now kiss the bride." Once the words let his mouth, Kelly threw her arms around Tony who dipped promptly dipped Kelly in a passionate kiss.

After the two had been liplocked for nearly a minute, Gibbs frowned as he said, "DiNozzo!"

"Yes, boss," Tony said, straightening up along with Kelly.

"Aww, don't stop it Gibbs!" Abby said, smiling at her boss. "It was just getting good."

But as everyone started to leave, Gibbs remained, lost in thought. His baby girl was grown up, married, and had children of her own. He thought about all the times he'd worried, fretted, and been absolutely certain that Kelly would be just like him.

"Dad?"

Gibbs stood and looked at Kelly who was standing by the door of the church. "I'll be there in a minute."

Kelly nodded and left hand in hand with Tony.

After a few moments, Gibbs followed, letting his mind fill with memories of his little girl.


	36. Borderland and Patriot Down

AUTHOR'S NOTES: When I first started working on the final 3 episodes of season 7 I'd wanted to blend everything together but that didn't work out as well as I had hoped.

And as far as Rule 50 in this story the rule is 'The rules go out the window when it comes to family.'

At the end of the chapter, there is mention to my 'Pretender' crossover chapters (Chapter 24 and 25).

Also, I decided to make the episode 'Rule 51' its own chapter. So that will be coming later.

Please read, enjoy, and show some love!

Chapter 36

* * *

_**Borderland & Patriot Down **_

There was something about Alejandra Rivera that made Kelly's gut twitch.

For the past month, Kelly had been focusing mainly on her physical therapy but when she'd popped in at NCIS, passing Rivera in the hallway made her gut squirm as if reminding her of something… or someone.

When Abby was invited to teach a class on forensics at a symposium in Mexico, Kelly's gut started squirming even more.

But it wasn't until Abby called Kelly, talking 100 miles an hour about the cold case she'd been assigned that Kelly's gut gave a sharp jolt.

"It's a really cold case," Abby said, hurriedly. "Like… Antarctica cold. The drug dealer's name was Pedro Hernandez and he was gunned down…"

Kelly's mind tuned out as soon as she heard the name. The man her mother had seen kill a Marine… the man who'd killed her mother… "Abby," Kelly said, trying—unsuccessfully—to keep a catch out of her voice. "Um…"

"Kelly, what's wrong?" Abby asked. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Kelly lied. "I-I need to go, Abbs. I'll talk to you later."

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

As Abby turned off her cell phone, she paced her empty classroom. Something was bothering her about Kelly and Abby had a sneaking suspicion that it had something to do with the cold case she'd been assigned. Pulling on a pair of gloves, Abby opened the evidence bag that contained the bullet she'd been given by Paloma Reynosa earlier that day. Looking at the logo, the hairs on the back of Abby's neck prickled slightly when she saw that the manufacturer was Lapua.

Going to the computer she logged into the NCIS database, pulling up the police report on Hernandez's death. But when Abby opened a connected file, she gasped when she saw the newspaper article and the picture in the upper right corner. "Oh, my God."

Hernandez was the one who killed Shannon Gibbs.

Hernandez was killed by a sniper.

Gibbs had been a sniper with the Marine Corps.

Suddenly, Abby wished she'd never come to Mexico.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Back in DC, Kelly was sitting in bed with her laptop, looking up the old NIS reports on her mother's accident. She knew who killed Hernandez. Anyone with half a brain could figure it out.

19 years ago, Lt. Lara Macy, MP, investigated Gibbs and let him go. Kelly knew that Macy had taken a risk with letting Gibbs go on the charges.

Hearing a chime on her computer, Kelly brought up her email, somewhat surprised to find an email from Lara Macy. Opening the message, Kelly sat up a bit more as she read. _'Kelly, someone's digging into the Hernandez case. I don't know who and I don't know why. But tell Gibbs that this is his mess.'_

Rule 45. 'If you get yourself into a mess, clean it up. Don't expect others to do it for you.'

Kelly felt her heartbeat quicken as she realized that someone was out to get her father. Someone wanted this case brought to light and they used Abby to do it.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Pedro Hernandez.

When Gibbs heard Jimmy Palmer say the name of the body currently lying in Autopsy every nerve in his body went on full alert. He heard Palmer talking about the bullet but Gibbs was suddenly transported back to Mexico… to the ridge from which he shot Hernandez. He could practically taste the dry arid air and feel his sniper rifle in his hands…

"Abby thinks she might be able to trace the bullet," Palmer said, his tone doubtful. "But I don't know. It's pretty old."

"Abby, huh?" Gibbs said, unable to take his eyes of Hernandez's body. _'Abby knows what happened,'_ Gibbs thought, ruefully. He'd thought that the drug dealer wouldn't be missed. That the whole thing would just go away.

But it hadn't. As Gibbs held out an evidence jar for the bullet, he could see his career going up in smoke. There was no statute of limitations on murder and despite whatever rationale Gibbs offered, it didn't change the fact that he had murdered a man in cold blood. And even if by some miracle he was legally let off the hook, it would impugn his credibility and every case he worked afterwards would be questioned and under suspicion.

x

As Ducky watched Gibbs leave the room, something in his memory started popping up. Hernandez's name seemed very familiar and the way Gibbs reacted to seeing him… "Oh, good Lord…" Ducky breathed, hurrying out of the room. In his personal office, he rummaged around until he found what he was looking for: a newspaper article from nearly 20 years ago. Looking at the picture of Shannon and Kelly and the picture of Hernandez, Ducky sighed deeply in sympathy for his friend.

x

It was probably the first time ever that Abby wasn't happy to see Gibbs. And as soon as he looked at her he knew that she knew. She didn't want to know… and while McGee was going on about the current case, she couldn't help staring at Gibbs. _'I'm so sorry, Gibbs. I don't want to hurt you like this…'_ Looking at the evidence jar he held, Abby looked at Gibbs and hopefully asked, "Is that another tissue sample?"

"No," Gibbs said, quietly, placing the jar on top of Abby's microscope. When their eyes met, both knew that a conversation was coming. One which neither of them wanted to have.

xxxxx

Limping into Abby's lab later, Kelly wasn't surprised to see Abby sitting alone in the room, staring at a lab report. "Can we talk, Abbs?"

"About?" Abby asked, looking at Kelly. Gibbs' daughter was getting around better, but she still used a cane periodically. And Abby felt wave after wave of guilt as she thought about what had happened the past few days.

Kelly pulled a stool over and sat down. "You know what about, Abby," Kelly said, quietly. "I know you know." After a moment, she said, "And you have to destroy the report on the Hernandez case."

"What?" Abby asked, surprised. "Kelly, how can you ask me that?" Pacing the room, she said, "Look… You know I care about Gibbs. He's like… I can't destroy evidence. I can't just give Hernandez's body back and say that I found nothing!" Stopping and looking at Kelly, she went on. "Hernandez killed your mother. He could have killed you. And Gibbs murdered him. In cold blood."

Kelly sighed and said, "Abby… If this case goes to trial… even if Dad's acquitted, he won't be able to stay an NCIS agent."

"Maybe Vance can—" Abby started to reply but she stopped when Kelly shook her head.

"If Jen were still Director… maybe," Kelly said with a shrug. "But Vance… He'd fire Dad. And even if Dad still… Every case Dad testifies on, the lawyers are going to bring up the fact that Dad's a killer." Tears in her eyes, she gave Abby an imploring look. "Please, Abby."

xxxxxxxx

Gibbs had expected Abby to find him that night as he stood working in his basement. But when he looked at her, he could see the pain and confusion on her face. And he didn't expect what she said.

"Kelly asked me to change my report," Abby said, as calmly as she could. "Gibbs… I know you. Sometimes… I think I know you better than anyone. I matched the bullet from Hernandez's head to your sniper rifle. I know you killed him." Looking into the blue eyes she always looked to for guidance and comfort, she asked, "Tell me why, Gibbs. I know what Hernandez did to you. He murdered your wife. He nearly killed Kelly. But I need to know why."

Gibbs looked at Abby and a mix of heartache, guilt, and shame wash over him. "I became a Marine to protect my country… my family. And I couldn't." Taking a step closer to Abby, he went on. "I remember every second leading up to taking that shot. And after… I just walked away. I did what I had to do, Abby."

"I know," Abby said, looking around the basement. "And I know that I didn't find this out by accident."

"Rule 40," Gibbs said, quietly. He'd felt it coming for ages now. But now he was certain that someone out there wanted him to suffer… wanted to hurt him.

"If it seems like someone's out to get you, they are," Abby recited. She knew something had been off for the past few months and now… "Gibbs, I wish… I wish that I could just tell you I'll figure this out. That we're in this together: You, me, Tony, McGee, Ziva, Ducky… Kelly…" She waited until Gibbs met her gaze before she went on. "But I need to know something. I-I'm with you, no matter what, Gibbs. But I need to know… if you're still going to love me after this."

Gibbs couldn't say the words, but as he looked into Abby's eyes, he tried to make his eyes say what he couldn't. _'I'll always love you, Abbs.'_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_Rule 40… _

_Rule 40…_

Ever since Abby had heard those words, she'd been a nervous wreck. Someone was after Gibbs and they didn't care who they used or killed to get to him.

NCIS Lara Macy was dead. Murdered, to cover up… what? Had Macy known that Gibbs killed Hernandez?

And if that was the reason Macy was murdered, was she killed to keep her from talking… or was she killed because she'd buried the truth?

It didn't help that Gibbs was acting even stranger than usual lately. When Abby had insisted that the two of them needed to talk about Mexico, Gibbs acted like he hadn't heard her before hurrying out of the lab and to the elevator where Kelly was waiting.

X

Once the elevator doors closed, Kelly looked at Gibbs. "Dad, what's going on? First Mexico and now Macy's been killed?"

"Kelly, did Mike leave this morning?" Gibbs asked, urgently.

Kelly was slightly taken aback by the question but after a second, she shook her head. "No. Mike changed his flight for tonight, why?"

Gibbs pulled out his cell phone and punched in the phone number for Mike's phone. "Mike, it's me. Look, I need you to—No, don't go back to Mexico. Rule 44."

Kelly's eyes widened at the words and she could hear Mike over the phone as he said, "What the Hell's going on, Probie?"

"I-I can't explain right now, Mike," Gibbs said, quickly. When his old boss started to protest, he said, "Look, just get Leila and Amira out of DC and _don't _go back to Mexico." When he hung up, Gibbs studied Kelly for a moment before he said, "Rule 44 applies to you, too."

"Like Hell!" Kelly exclaimed shutting the elevator down. "Not until you tell me what the Hell is going on! First you tell Abby 'Rule 40' now you're pulling out 44?"

"This is not a discussion," Gibbs said, firmly. He didn't want to send Kelly away but right now he had to keep her safe. "And it's not a debate."

"Whatever happened to Rule 50, Dad?" Kelly protested. "Look, if you're worried about me and the kids, don't be. If anyone tries to hurt my family they'll be staring down the barrel of my Sig."

Gibbs felt his gut twist at Kelly's words. It had been a promise _very_ similar to that that had put current events into motion. If Kelly got involved it wouldn't help matters. Most likely it would just make the situation worse. Looking Kelly he said, "Rule 45."

Kelly let out a long sigh. "If you get into a mess, you clean it up. Don't expect others to do it for you." Nodding, she said, "Okay. Okay. I'll go get a flight to—"

"I don't want to know, Kel," Gibbs warned.

"Dad, you're scaring me," Kelly said, worried. "First the Rule 40's… now you don't even want to know where I'm going." She couldn't think of anything else to say as she turned the elevator back on. Although before they reached their floor, she stopped the elevator again. Turning to her father, she threw her arms around him. "Dad, promise me you're going to be okay."

Gibbs hugged his little girl as tight as he could and said, quietly, "I wish I could, Sniper."

_Los Angeles, CA_

_NCIS OSP Offices_

As Kelly parked her rental car on the street, she took a deep breath hoping to calm her nerves. Yesterday she'd dropped off Jen, Kate, and Mikey in Coral Hills with Sherriff Jarod Parker. Since Jarod had had years of experience staying off the radar, Kelly figured her children would be far safer with him than with her. Getting out of the car, she grabbed her backpack and headed into the building where she found Hetty waiting expectantly.

"Miss Gibbs," Hetty said with the slightest of smiles. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

Kelly sighed when she saw Callen coming up looking worried. "Rule 44," she said, simply.

"44?" Callen said, looking more than a little worried. "Gibbs is using the Rule 40's?"

"Callen, what rules are you talking about?" Kensi asked, confused as Kelly sat down on the couch.

Callen exchanged a look with Kelly and when she nodded, he started to explain. "Jethro Gibbs was my mentor. He's somewhat famous for his different rules both for life and the job."

"So what's #44?" Sam asked as he joined the group.

But to everyone's surprise it wasn't Callen or Kelly who replied. It was Hetty. "Rule Number 44," she said in an authoritative tone. "First things first: Hide the women and children." Seeing the surprise on Kelly's face, Hetty smiled. "Well, where did you think your father learned that particular rule, Miss Gibbs? Leroy Jethro Gibbs and I exchanged rules during a meeting in Paris." Giving Kelly a pointed look, she said, "And if I recall Rule Number 50 states that the rules go out the window when the problem concerns family."

"Which is why I came here," Kelly replied. "Dad's in trouble and just because I've been booted out of DC doesn't mean I can't help him."

"Then let's get to it," Callen said, leading the group up to the computer room.


	37. Rule 51

AUTHOR'S NOTES: After ages of kicking my muse's ass I finally updated this story! While this chapter mostly takes place in LA, I did bring it back to Gibbs at the end.

Enjoy!

Chapter 37

_Rule 51_"So let me get this straight, G," Sam said as he and Callen stood in the squad room. Upstairs, Kelly was getting an update from DC with Kensi and Eric. "Gibbs has 50 rules and one of them is the reason Kelly's here."

* * *

"Yeah," Callen replied as he paced between the desks. Pausing for a moment and looking at Sam, he said, "Look, this can't be an official investigation."

"Off the books," Sam said, simply. "How come?"

Callen sighed and looked around. "You can't tell _anyone_ about this." Seeing Sam about to ask the question, he gave his friend a look. "Not even Hetty."

"What, did Gibbs kill the wrong person or something?" Sam asked, casually.

"Gibbs killed the drug dealer that killed Kelly's mother," Callen replied. "Pedro Hernandez. Put a bullet in his head while he was in Mexico."

Sam nodded as he started pacing. "So Gibbs hides this for almost 20 years. Now this guy—"

"Merton Bell," Callen supplied. "Used to head up First Defense PMC."

"Right," Sam said quickly. "Him. He's dead but not before he started digging stuff up on Gibbs." Giving Callen a look, he added, "What about Mace? Did she know about this?"

"I think she did," Callen replied.

x

After wrapping up the sit-rep in OSP's version of MTAC, Kelly waited until Tony and McGee were out of MTAC in DC before saying to Ziva, "I got your email, Ziva."

"And?" Ziva asked, a little nervously.

Kelly sighed as she sat down and said, honestly, "Why the Hell would you invite your father to a ceremony where you basically say that you're an American, not Israeli?"

Ziva sighed. "I know what my father would say about it. I know he feels as though I have turned my back on him and everything he ever taught me." After a moment, she added, "My father believed that my loyalty to Gibbs was some sort of rebellion. Or a way to get attention."

"You're a grown woman, Ziva," Kelly replied. "You don't need Eli David's consent or approval for what you do in your life. And after everything he's put you through… Ziva, why do you care?"

Ziva looked a bit sad as she said, "I just thought that—for once—my father could support something that I wanted to do."

Kelly nodded sympathetically. "I understand, Ziva, but… You know he won't like it."

"I know," Ziva admitted. "But it couldn't hurt to ask."

As she signed off, Kelly heard footsteps behind her and saw Hetty looking hesitant. "It's nothing about the case, Hetty."

"Actually, I was coming to find you because you have visitors, Miss Gibbs," Hetty said, beckoning Kelly to follow her.

Kelly followed Hetty and as the two stood on the ledge overlooking the lower floor where three people stood, huddled together. "When did they get here?"

"Mike Franks arrived with Miss Shakarji only a few minutes ago," Hetty replied, looking down at the former NCIS agent and his family. Turning to look at Kelly, she added, "Are you alright?"

"What the Hell is going on, Hetty?" Kelly asked as she headed downstairs.

Watching as Kelly greeted Mike and Leila, Hetty said to herself, "What, indeed?"

xxx

While Kensi got Leila and Amira settled in a safe house, Mike Franks and Kelly headed to the beach. Sitting at a café with cups of coffee, they tried to blend in with the crowd.

"Dad's in trouble," Kelly finally said, not looking at her father's old boss. "The Reynosa Cartel has him and the Mexican _Federales_ are…" Rolling her eyes, she sighed. "I don't even know. This guy, Alejandro Rivera… something's wrong about him."

"Gibbs told me 'Rule 44'," Mike said, looking at Kelly. "Found out you came here. Figured it was as good a place as any." When Kelly looked at him, he added, "I'm getting to old for this shit, kid. Shoot-outs in old diners with you and the lady director. Hired gunmen firing at me with my granddaughter right there! Now I've got this mess to deal with. I ain't no spring chicken, you know."

"I know," Kelly replied, nodding. "Look it's not any easier for me, you know."

"So what are we going to do?" Mike asked, plainly.

"We are going to track Dad from here," Kelly replied, calmly. Seeing Mike's look, she grinned. "Don't knock OSP. Believe me, they can just about run circles around us in DC."

Mike just stared at Kelly. Deep down he was an old school cop. He didn't trust all this technology and stuff. He trusted his gut and what he could see and feel. And despite the fact that he felt old, that didn't change the fact that he wanted to end this.

xxxx

Eric Beal had spent the past 6 hours trying to track Special Agent Gibbs' whereabouts, with almost no success. But just as he was about to take a break, the satellite he'd been using to track Gibbs' location went over an estate in Mexico. Pulling up the images, Eric zoomed in and isolated the people.

"Any luck?" Sam said as he looked at the screens.

"Found Gibbs, Jason Dean, and…" Eric brought up an image of a woman and turned to Sam. "Head of the Reynosa Cartel, Paloma Reynosa."

"Great," Sam replied, his expression stony. "Now what? Kelly thinks the Mexican authorities are in on what's going on."

"Probably are," Eric admitted. "Cartels usually have cops in their pockets."

Sam nodded, but he frowned a bit as he studied Paloma Reynosa's picture. "But what does she have to do with Gibbs?" he mused.

"No idea," Eric shrugged as he continued working on the computer.

"Wait, Eric," Sam said, quickly as he saw another man join Paloma on the live satellite feed. "Reynosa and this guy," he said, pointing to the newcomer. Once Eric had brought up the images, Sam glanced at him before turning back at the screen. "You see what I see?"

"Brother and sister," Eric replied, nodding. Doing facial recognition, he brought up a federal ID. "Alejandro Rivera. Changed his name when he was 18 from…"

Once the birth certificate was up, Sam read the name aloud. "Hernandez."

"Yep," Eric said, not sounding happy about it. "Hernandez."

xxx

"Please tell me we have something," Kelly said as she and Franks came back into OSP later that day. When Callen, Sam, Eric, Kensi, and Nate gathered around, she knew it was bad. "What? Is Dad…?"

"Gibbs is being held by Pedro Hernandez's daughter," Callen replied, simply. "Far as we know he's still alive."

"We did some research on Hernandez," Eric said, picking up the conversation. "His daughter took over the Reynosa Cartel when her husband died and his son joined the Mexican _federales_."

"Hetty said that she doesn't want to know what our plan is," Callen went on. "Plausible deniability. She said you're in charge of this operation."

"Just say the word and we'll head down to Mexico and settle this," Sam assured her.

But before Kelly could say anything, her cell phone rang. "Special Agent Gibbs. Ziva! Thank God. Okay. Okay. Great. I'll let everyone know. And don't worry, Ziva. I'll be there." Hanging up, she looked at the others. "Dad's on his way back to DC. He's going to stop at home and clean up then he'll call."

"So, then it's over," Kensi said looking at the others.

"Like Hell," Mike said, shaking his head. "Reynosa's not just going to stop going after anyone who knows the truth. We've got to take them _all_ down."

"I'll call DEA and tell them we've got evidence that the cartel ordered hits on Gibbs and Franks," Sam said with a grin.

"What evidence?" Kensi asked, confused.

"Oh, I'm sure I'll think of something," Sam replied, still smiling as he turned to head to his desk.

While everyone headed off—Kensi to take Mike Franks to the safe house, Nate to his office, Eric to the upper level, and Callen to… somewhere else—Kelly went to find Hetty who was making a pot of tea.

"I would presume that a course of action has been decided upon and put into play?" Hetty asked, selecting a second cup and placing it with the first.

"Yeah," Kelly replied as she sat down. "Dad's okay for right now."

After pouring tea and handing Kelly her cup, Hetty studied the younger woman. "You know, I have always found your history to be the most fascinating, Miss Gibbs," she said after a few moments.

Kelly laughed and rolled her eyes. "I'm not that interesting, Hetty, really."

Hetty smiled back and replied, "On the surface, no, you are not. Your mother died when you were a child, your father raised you by himself, occasionally remarrying. He took you to work to spend time with you. Not very different from other children of single fathers. What I find interesting is what you have become because of your past."

Kelly thought about that as she sipped her tea. "If Mom had survived the crash… I don't know. I have no idea what would have happened to me."

"Exactly my point," Hetty said, sipping her tea. "With all this unpleasantness I've started thinking about how one event can cause a cascade. One simple action can cause numerous others."

"The butterfly effect," Kelly simplified, something starting to occur to her. "But if you catch the butterfly—or if you isolate that first incident—then you can stop the chain reaction."

Hetty looked thoughtful although there was a twinkle in her eyes as she spoke. "The butterfly is already loose, Miss Gibbs. The dominoes are falling over. Perhaps the best option is to cut off the line."

"Right," Kelly replied, thoughtfully, her mind running through all the happenings of the past weeks. The question now was how to figure out the endgame and how to save Gibbs from… whatever Paloma Reynosa had in store.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Within 12 hours of releasing Gibbs, Paloma Reynosa had the US's Drug Enforcement Agency and the FBI breathing down her neck about contract killings, kidnapping, and who knew what else.

Once out of Mexico, she called a few contacts and found herself in a penthouse apartment in Los Angeles, California overlooking the beach. She frowned as she thought about the situation. True, her father had been a drug dealer and a murderer and she could certainly understand revenge. But the scale of payback was never her idea. She'd wanted to look into the eyes of the man who had killed her father. To see justice done. Alejandro had been the one out for bloody vengeance. After meeting Abby Scuito, the forensic scientist from Washington, DC, he had been certain that she would be able to ascertain who had murdered Pedro Hernandez.

This Ms. Scuito had done and Alejandro had seemed to snap after finding out that his father's murderer was also a cop. Paloma had tried to get her brother to calm down but he'd apparently started to lose his mind, making crazy plans to kill every single person who knew anything about Gibbs' actions in Mexico 19 years ago.

Standing in front of the window, Paloma felt alone. Her father was gone, her mother had died years before him. And God only knew what was happening to Alejandro. When her phone rang, she pulled it out, hoping the caller was her brother. "Alejandro?"

"Not even remotely," the caller replied. It was a male and he sounded to be about her age. "So what brings you here, Miss Reynosa?"

"How do you know who I am?" Paloma asked, going to the window and looking around at the crowded beach below. "How did you find me?"

"Not important," the caller replied. "Now, if you ever want to see your brother again sit tight until I call you again."

Paloma's fear gave way to anger as she said, "If you hurt my brother they will never find all of the parts I will cut off of you."

"Temper, temper," the man replied. "Haven't you done enough threatening lately? Now just sit tight. I'll call back later."

Paloma's eyes turned to ice as she threw the phone against the wall. Breathing heavily, she left the apartment and headed down onto the busy boardwalk. Stopping into the first electronics store she found, she grabbed a pre-paid phone and strode quickly to the counter.

The young man who rang up the purchase didn't even blink as he watched her dig cash out of her pocket. "Not from around here, are ya?" he asked with a smile as he paid out the order.

"No," Paloma replied, curtly.

"Thought so," the young man replied. "Would you say no if I asked you to dinner tonight?"

'_Blend in,'_ Paloma thought. "No," she said with a smile. "I wouldn't." Holding out a hand, she said, "Elena Alverez."

The young man shook it and smiled, his green eyes holding a bit of a devilish look. "Chris O'Donnell. Pick you up at your place? 7ish?"

Once back outside, Paloma had just turned on her phone when it rang. When she answered it she heard the same male voice who had called her earlier. "I told you to sit tight."

"Who are you?" Paloma demanded. 'Tell me."

"You really want to do this around all these people?" the man asked.

Paloma looked around, looking for who might be watching her but didn't see anyone who seemed to match the voice. "What do you want from me?" But the caller hung up without answering. Looking around again, Paloma wondered just what was going on. She'd anticipated the American authorities to come after her but this didn't feel like the government after her.

"Lost?"

"What?" Paloma asked, turning to see a young woman standing behind her, leaning on a cane. The young lady was a redhead and she had hazel eyes. "I'm sorry. Yes, I am lost. Can you tell me how to find the nearest restaurant?"

"There's a sandwich shop down the boardwalk," the young woman replied, pointing. "Can't miss it."

"_Gracias_," Paloma replied, nodding. She hurried away, not looking back.

x

Kelly pulled out her cell phone and dialed Kensi as Paloma walked away. "She's heading your way, Kensi. Tell Sam to get ready."

xxxx

Back at OSP, Eric monitored what was going on as Paloma Reynosa entered the deli and ordered a salad and a bottled water. When Kensi instructed Paloma to have a seat, Eric spoke over the earbud. "Sam, when she sits down come in the rear entrance.

xxxx

In the deli, Paloma had just turned back from a visual sweep of the room when a large, well-built black man sat down opposite her. "You know who I am," he said, his eyes cold as he stared at her. It hadn't been a question.

"What do you want?" Paloma asked, opening her bottle of water and taking a long drink.

"You killed a friend of mine," the man said, simply.

"And you want revenge?" Paloma asked, quietly.

The man didn't reply as a waitress brought out Paloma's salad. Once she'd left, he said, "I don't want revenge."

"Then what _do_ you want?" Paloma asked again. "Money? Tell me."

There was a look in the man's eyes she recognized. He _did_ want revenge but he wouldn't take it. After a long moment, he stood and pulled out a badge. "I want you to stand up, turn around, and put your hands behind your head."

Paloma smiled as she did as instructed. "NCIS, I presume." As she was being handcuffed, she asked, "Who was your friend?"

"NCIS Special Agent Lara Macy," Sam said, leading Paloma outside.

The next morning, Kelly awoke in her old bedroom at her father's house and she dressed in a pair of black slacks and her favorite red shirt. After heading downstairs, she found her father waiting for her in a dark navy blue suit with a blue shirt and striped tie. "Ready to go?" Kelly asked with a smile. "Don't want to let Ziva down."

"I'm afraid we need to talk first," said a female voice from by the kitchen table.

Kelly turned to see M. Allison Hart standing there. On the table were books of legal codes and laws and the forensic report from Abby regarding the murder of Pedro Hernandez. Turning to her father, Kelly said, "Dad, I'll catch up. Go and meet the others at the courthouse."

Gibbs started to argue but when he saw his daughter's look he nodded. "I'll see you later, Kelly."

Once Gibbs had left, Hart frowned at Kelly. "This is not going to go away, Miss Gibbs."

"That's _Special Agent_ Gibbs," Kelly snapped, glaring at Hart. "How dare you come here and act like you're Dad's friend? Like you're doing him a favor. You don't have kids. You don't have a husband or a family. I do. And trust me when I say that you do not get to talk about right and wrong until someone _you_ love is murdered! Dad wouldn't even _have _his own code if it weren't for my mother." Waiting until Hart was looking her in the eye, Kelly asked, "What are _your_ rules? What code do you live by? Or do you just spew back whatever they crammed down your throat in law school?"

"That's not the point," Hart said, sadly. "The law is the law. We are both officers of the law and we have to follow it."

"The _point_," Kelly said, grabbing her purse and car keys. "Is that there is nothing in the world that is more important than family. If you had one you'd know that."

Hart didn't say anything as Kelly left the house. After a few moments, Hart left herself, thinking about what lay ahead. She'd have her work cut out for her on this case.

_Stillwater, PA_

_3 Days Later_

Jackson Gibbs looked up as the bell above the door of the store jingled. He froze when he saw the man standing there. There was a crazed look in his eye and Jackson wasn't sure what the younger man was on but he seemed ready to kill. "Just take it easy, son," Jackson said, calmly, taking a few steps back.

"My whole family has been ruined by you," Alejandro Rivera Hernandez said, as he turned the 'Open' sign on the door to 'Closed'. "My father… my sister…" Pulling out a gun, he pointed it at Jackson's head. "And now your son will know how I feel."

xxx

High on a hill, a figure in camouflage waited, lining up the crosshairs of the sniper rifle on the back of Alejandro's head, waiting until there was a clear shot.

As if knowing what was going on, Jackson Gibbs moved slightly to the side and the sniper lined up the shot and squeezed the trigger, watching the would-be killer fall to the ground.


	38. The Haunting of NCIS

AUTHOR'S NOTES: When I started my Supernatural/NCIS crossover, I had a thought about this story which was how would Sam and Dean Winchester deal with a situation like Kate Todd's ghost popping up all the time. And FYI in the Supernatural-verse this takes place during the 6th season. I also made a brief mention to one of the Supernatural TV tie-in novels but you don't need to have read it to follow along.

And as per usual with my crossover chapters, this will be part one with part two coming in later on.

Enjoy!

Chapter 38

* * *

_**The Haunting of NCIS**_

A month after resolving the Hernandez case, Kelly had decided that she, Abby, and Ziva deserved a girls' only vacation and they'd taken a road trip down to North Carolina. Gibbs had loaned his daughter the Charger and for two days the three women had wound their way towards the beach, finally coming to a beautiful old inn 5 minutes from the ocean.

While Ziva checked them into their rooms, Kelly called Gibbs and Abby unloaded the luggage from the trunk. After taking their things up to their rooms and changing into swimwear, the ladies headed back downstairs and to the car before heading for the beach.

xxx

"A ghost?" Dean Winchester said, doubtfully, as he spoke on the phone to his brother, Sam. Driving towards Calabash, North Carolina, Dean had expected his brother to pick a more interesting hunting job. Although, truth be told, Dean did prefer something a little more mundane as his first 'official' case after spending a year away from being a hunter.

But Sam was not to be deterred from the case as he gave his brother the rundown. "Woman who runs the Davis Bed and Breakfast says she started to feel cold spots two days ago which doesn't make sense considering—"

"Considering the average temp right now is just shy of 80," Dean finished, a black and yellow Dodge Charger catching his eye as it pulled up alongside him on the road. "Sure she doesn't just have the air conditioning down too low?"

And then Sam dropped the bomb. "According to the manager, the air conditioning has been broken for the past month."

"Okay, then," Dean admitted, glancing over at the driver of the Charger and doing a double take as he saw the knockout gorgeous brunette who was driving. "Sam, I gotta go."

"See you there, Dean," Sam replied before Dean hung up and tossed the cellphone into the passenger's seat.

Looking over at the Charger again, he caught the driver looking over at him, too. Smiling at her, Dean mouthed the words 'Nice car'. When the driver smiled back she nodded at the backseat and in between glances at the road to make sure he wasn't drifting, Dean saw a pretty redhead looking over at him as well. It was then that he almost _did_ swerve off the road.

Because for just a moment, Dean swore he saw a ghost sitting next to the redhead.

Pulling into the Davis B&B, Sam noted that Dean hadn't arrived yet. Deciding to go ahead and grab their rooms anyway, Sam walked in and headed up to the front desk, smiling at the older woman standing there. "Hi, I need to check in, please. Two rooms, if you've got them."

"Expecting someone?" The woman asked as she took the offered credit card and ran it through. Looking at the name, she glanced back up at Sam. "Mr. Franklin?"

"Yeah, my, uh… my brother's supposed to be here soon," Sam replied with a smile. He hadn't come up with a proper cover for being at the inn yet so he figured perhaps being straightforward was the best way to go for the moment.

"Rooms 246 and 247," the woman replied, handing over two sets of keys. "The rooms are adjoining."

"Thank you," Sam replied as he took the keys and headed up the stairs. Once he'd dropped his things off in his room, he decided to check if there was any EMF readings from the neighboring rooms. Heading down the hall, Sam didn't pick up anything but when he went up to the next floor, the EMF reader he held started to go off and the readings got stronger as he approached one of the rooms down at the end. Pulling out his lockpicking kit, he found himself thankful that the inn hadn't switched over to the electronic keys. One the door was opened, Sam withdrew his gun and slowly entered the room, stopping when he saw a woman in her 30's standing there.

"Who the hell are you?" the woman asked, surprised.

"Sorry," Sam replied, starting to put his weapon away until he noticed the gunshot wound to the woman's head. Without a second thought, he fired a round through the ghost but stopped when the salt-tipped silver bullet did nothing to dispel her. On the contrary…

"Ow!" the woman said, rubbing her stomach where the bullet had gone through her. "That was uncalled for!"

"What are you?" Sam demanded, raising his gun again.

"Special Agent Caitlyn Todd, NCIS," Kate replied, going over to the wall and easily extracting the bullet before turning to Sam and tossing it to him.

Sam caught the bullet out of reflex but he was too surprised at what he'd just seen to say anything. Obviously this woman was not your ordinary ghost but that just made things even weirder. Even by Winchester standards. Hearing someone call his name, Sam glanced towards the doorway, still keeping an eye on Kate. "Dean? In here."

When Dean entered the room, he instantly drew his own firearm but was surprised when the ghost rolled her eyes.

"Okay, it's bad enough that I was killed by getting shot, but now I've got people shooting me now that I'm dead," Kate said, annoyed.

"Sam?" Dean asked, glancing over at his brother.

"You got me, Dean," Sam replied, slowly lowering his weapon.

"I'm sorry, am I talking to myself here?" Kate asked, starting to move past 'annoyed' and onto 'pissed'. "What are the two of you doing here and for that matter, why the hell can you actually see me?"

"Uh…" Dean said, looking over at Sam who looked equally confused. After tucking his gun away, Dean looked at the woman standing before him. "I could use a drink," he finally said, heading for the door. "Big one," he added under his breath.

In his room one floor below, Dean grabbed a bottle of whiskey and took a long drink before sitting on the bed.

"You want to explain what's going on?" Kate asked as she showed up in the room just as Sam came in and closed the door.

"Okay, you are dead, right?" Dean asked, standing up and setting the whiskey bottle aside.

"Last I checked," Kate replied, shrugging. "Shot in the head by a terrorist sniper."

"So how come salt rounds don't work on you?" Sam asked, wondering how a ghost could be resistant to the usual methods of elimination.

Kate shrugged and ran a hand across the wooden dresser along the wall. "Look, I'm not hurting anyone, okay?" She said, finally turning to the two brothers. "After I was shot—I mean _literally_ the second after I died I found myself at NCIS headquarters. And I haven't moved on since."

"How long ago was that?" Sam asked out of curiosity.

Kate frowned slightly as she thought and finally replied, "Almost 6 years."

"Long time to be hanging around," Dean replied as he sat on the bed once more.

"Is this where you give me some speech about how it's time for me to move on?" Kate asked, getting annoyed again. "How I shouldn't be holding on to my old life so much? Before I started at NCIS I was a Secret Service agent. But NCIS is my home. One of the last things my boss told me before I was to protect his daughter. And I'm not about to let a small thing like dying keep me from doing my job."

"Okay," Sam replied, still wondering what exactly was going on. "But if you're a ghost, then why didn't that salt round do anything to you?"

Kate sighed—albeit a useless act given that she was dead—and replied, "I don't know. All I know is that I'm stronger than your average ghost."

When Sam and Dean exchanged another look, Dean sighed and pulled out his cell phone while Sam did likewise. "I'll call Bobby," Dean said, bringing up the contact list on his phone.

"I'll call Samuel," Sam added, heading off to make his own call.

Kate looked at the two brothers and after a moment, decided to try and find Kelly, Ziva, and Abby. Just in case.

x

When Dean told Bobby Singer about Special Agent Todd, he expected the older man to say that he had to do some digging and he'd call back. So he was surprised when Bobby had an answer at that moment.

"Sounds like a guardian spirit," Bobby replied, simply after Dean gave him a rundown of the events.

"Guardian?" Dean repeated, looking at Sam who was on the phone with their grandfather.

"Very, very powerful spirits," Bobby replied after a moment—presumably after grabbing a book to look something up. "Resistant to iron and salt. And you generally can't get rid of them until they're good and ready to move on."

"Come again?" Dean asked, wanting to make sure he was understanding correctly. "You mean these spirits are basically ungankable?"

"Pretty much," Bobby replied, regretfully. "Best guess on what to do is just try and convince her that her business is finished."

"Great," Dean grumbled. "Thanks, Bobby."

"Wish I could tell you something better, son," Bobby replied before hanging up.

As Dean hung up, he looked over at Sam, giving him an 'anything?' look.

Sam gave a quick nod and said to his grandfather, "Hang on, I'm putting you on speaker."

A second later, Samuel Campbell's voice came over the phone. "If you're dealing with a guardian then there's not much you can do. They're tough, resisitant to the usual ghost-killing weapons, and can manifest themselves corporally."

"Okay, but how can a _ghost_ be that powerful?" Dean asked, a bit puzzled. He remembered almost three years ago when a demon had been raising hell in Key West, Florida and had inadvertently made a lot of the town's ghosts stronger but there didn't seem to be anything like that here.

"Ghosts are bound to a location. Some place they loved or that was important to them in life," Samuel replied. "Guardians are stronger because they protect people who are living. They _have to_ be stronger."

"Protect them from what?" Dean asked, still not sure he entirely understood.

Samuel sighed and after a moment continued his explanation "Whenever you see a story in the newspaper or on TV about someone surviving an impossible event with minimal injuries, it's usually a guardian. Since these spirits are just shy of being completely solid then can essentially slow bullets, absorb impacts…"

"Are they dangerous?" Sam asked, wondering if—like regular ghosts—guardians ever turned violent.

"Not unless you seriously threaten whoever it is that they're protecting," Samuel replied. "Then watch out."

"Got it," Sam said, looking up at Dean. "Thanks." After hanging up, he looked over at Dean who seemed a bit uneasy. "What?"

"Starting to make sense now, isn't it?" Dean said with a wry smile.

"What's making sense?" Sam asked, not sure he understood what Dean meant.

"Isn't it obvious?" Dean said with a grin. Standing in the middle of the room, went on. "Sam… all the times we've died and come back, all the times we've _almost_ died… haven't you wondered if someone was out there watching over us?"

Sam looked doubtful but as he thought about it, he shrugged. "Maybe. But who?"

"Who else?" Dean said, a glimmer of something in his eyes. "Mom."

"Mom?" Sam asked, doubtfully. "Dean, if she was watching over us, then where was she when you went to Hell? When Dad died? When I fell into the Cage?"

"Maybe she was the one who pulled you out," Dean suggested.

But Sam was doubtful about that idea. Sure, something or someone _did_ pull him out of Hell—something that had yet to be identified—but even if their mother _was_ a guardian spirit would she even have that kind of power? "I don't think so, Dean."

"Why not?" Dean asked, a little pissed—maybe more than a little—that Sam was discarding the notion outright. "What, you… You don't think Mom's tough enough? Dad broke out of Hell! I'm sure Mom would have no problem breaking out of _Heaven_!"

"Then why haven't we seen her, Dean?" Sam asked, laying out the facts. "We could see Agent Todd. So if our mother was a guardian, then why can't we see her?"

"Because the two of you were so young when she died," Kate replied as she reappeared in the room. Sitting on one of the beds, she looked at Sam and Dean. "Believe it or not, if the person you're protecting doesn't have any real, solid memories of you, then sometimes there's not enough of a bond to make yourself visible."

"So Dean's right?" Sam asked, almost in disbelief. "Our mom's been watching out for us?"

Kate smiled as she stood and eyed the Winchesters. "Yeah. She's been keeping an eye on you. Your dad, too." Looking at Sam who seemed anxious about something, Kate gave him a regretful look. "But Mary wasn't the one who pulled you out of Hell."

"Then who was?" Sam asked, hopefully. Maybe Kate knew something he and Dean didn't.

"No idea," Kate replied, hearing footsteps outside. Turning to the door, she saw Ziva, Abby, and Kelly come into the room.

"Sam and Dean Winchester, I presume," Ziva said, looking at the two brothers as she entered the room.

"Yeah," Sam said, holding out a hand.

"This is Abby Scuito and Kelly DiNozzo-Gibbs," Ziva said indicating her friends as she shook Sam's hand.

"And you are?" Dean asked, pouring on the charm as he shook Ziva's hand.

Ziva smiled at Dean as she replied, "Ziva David."

"So Kate said you tried to kill her…again?" Kelly said as she crossed her arms and stared down Dean and Sam.

"It was a mistake," Sam explained. "We, uh…" He looked over to Dean for help but Dean put his hands up.

"You're on your own with this one, Sammy," Dean said with a smile.

"Wait a second," Kelly said, studying the two brothers. After a moment, her eyebrows went up in surprise as she recognized the two. "I don't believe it. You're the guys who found me."

"You know them?" Ziva asked, looking curious. But when she saw the look in Kelly's eyes, she knew what Kelly meant. Looking at the Winchesters, she said, "You found Kelly after she was… attacked in Detroit."

Sam seemed to focus on Kelly and after a moment, he remembered that night. He, Dean, and their father had been in Michigan hunting a demon and that night, Sam and Dean had heard a scuffle in the motel room next to theirs. Dean had burst into the room, finding a man viciously attacking a young woman. Sam had called 911 while Dean had jumped the guy. "I remember," Sam said quietly as he met Kelly's eyes. "I'm sorry we didn't get there sooner."

"He could have killed me," Kelly replied. "You probably saved my life."

Dean nodded, feeling an uncomfortable silence settle on the room. After a while, he dug into his pocket for the wad of cash he'd won playing poker last week. "Hey, uh… how about this? Why don't Sam and I take you ladies out to dinner?" Looking at Kate, he added, "Ghosts are welcome, too."

"Oh, ha ha. Very funny," Kate said, glaring at Dean. He reminded her so much of Tony it wasn't even funny. Turning to Kelly, she said, "I'm going to pop in on Gibbs. See you later, Kelly."

Once Kate had vanished from the room, Dean raised an eyebrow as he studied Kelly. "And none of that seems strange to you at all? That you can see and talk to someone whose dead as if they were still alive?"

"Not really," Kelly shrugged. "Why?"

"Okay," Dean said, deciding to tell the ladies the truth about what he and Sam were doing in North Carolina. "So I could tell you that Sam and I hunt ghost and demons and you'd be okay with that?"

Kelly's look was inscrutable and after a pause, she frowned. "Demons aren't real."

Dean's look was one of amusement as he glanced over at Sam who also looked amused but there was also a note of perplexity on his face. Turning back to Kelly, he said, "So you believe in ghosts but not demons?" Looking over at Sam as the two headed for the door, he said, "Oh, this is going to be a fun trip. I just know it."


	39. Chapter 39

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Since I have been up to my ears in angst and emotion with my Supernatural story 'Torn' I decided to make this chapter just some lighthearted fun. I also threw in an idea I'd had given that this story has contained elements from the show 'Saving Grace' which is contrasting the two angels Earl and Castiel. I have also made Sam more like his old self pesonality-wise.

Recapping from the previous chapter: Sam and Dean Winchester travel to North Carolina to investigate a ghost who happens to be a former NCIS agent. (This chapter immediatly follows the preceeding one.)

Chapter Summary: Sam falls in love with Kate, Castiel finally gets some, and Dean and Kelly bond over families and pie.

Chapter 39

* * *

After leaving the hotel, Dean watched the girls getting into the Dodge Charger, he noticed that Kelly had a very slight limp and he could barely catch the scar on her right leg hidden by her denim capri pants. Going to the Impala, he got in behind the wheel, lost in his own thoughts as Sam got in beside him.

"Dean, let's go," Sam prompted, looking at his brother.

"Right," Dean muttered as he started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot, following Ziva, Kelly, and Abby. Looking in his rearview mirror, he caught a last glimpse of Kate standing in the lot. After a while, in an attempt to lighten the mood, Dean smiled. "Kate seemed to like you, Sammy."

Sam looked at his brother in disbelief. "Dude, she's a ghost!"

"Ah, you heard what Samuel said," Dean replied, still grinning. "Guardians are just shy of being completely solid." Glancing over at Sam, he added, "Come on, Sam. Haven't you always wondered what it would be like sleep with a ghost?"

"I-I—" Sam stammered but when he caught Dean's look, he couldn't help blushing the slightest bit. "O-okay, maybe… maybe once… or twice."

Dean let out a laugh and turned up the radio on his car as he rolled the window down.

* * *

Appearing in a seafood restaurant labeled as the 'Original' Calabash, Castiel scanned the diners, looking for Sam and Dean Winchester. As he passed the bar, he was slightly startled by someone clapping a hand on his shoulder. Turning to see a gruff looking man with grizzled gray hair and brilliant blue eyes, Castiel gave him a curt nod. "Earl."

"Good to see you again, Cas," Earl replied, jovially. "Buy you a beer?"

"I'm working," Castiel replied, flatly.

"You know, I remember when you used to be fun," Earl said, a smirk tweaking the corner of his mouth. But seeing that the other angel wasn't in the mood, he sighed. "How's the war going?"

Castiel paused a moment before having a set next to Earl. "We need you, Earl. We need every angel possible if we are to win the battle for control of Heaven."

Earl didn't reply right away but after a moment, he said, "I just lost one of my favorite souls, Castiel. Grace Hanadarko gave her life to stop one of Lucifer's top demons."

"If we do not win this war," Castiel said, quietly. "We will lose even more innocent souls both here and in Heaven." Looking around the restaurant, he turned back to Earl, frowning slightly. "What are you doing here?"

"Keeping an eye on a friend," Earl said, nodding in the direction of a table in the corner where two men—one shorter with spiky brown hair the other with longer brown hair—sat with three young women—a redhead, a brunette, and a woman with black hair done up in pigtails. Seeing Castiel heading in their direction, Earl picked up his beer and followed.

"Cas," Dean said, looking surprised to see the angel standing next to the table. Looking at the ladies, he said, "Uh, Ziva, Abby, Kelly… this is a friend of mine: Castiel."

"Hi," Kelly replied, tentatively as her eye went from Castiel to Earl. "The two of you know each other?"

"We have the same boss," Earl replied, casually. Having spent so much time amongst humans he'd learned how to cover what he really was. Something, he was willing to bet, Castiel didn't often do given how nervous Sam and Dean were looking.

Kelly looked slightly awkward but covered by asking, "Well, have a seat, guys. There's room for two more."

Dean grabbed Kelly's arm and whispered, "You sure that's a good idea? Cas isn't great at… you know, social situations."

"Relax, would you?" Kelly said with a smile and a devilish twinkle in her eye that actually made Dean's heart skip a beat.

Once everyone was moved around to make room for Castiel and Earl, Earl ordered another round of drinks for everyone.

Seeing that Ziva and Abby were eyeing Castiel and Earl, Kelly lowered her voice as the looked at them. "Earl's that angel I told you about. The one who… who knew my friend, Grace Hanadarko."

While Earl, Ziva, Abby, and Kelly spoke quietly, Dean leaned over to talk to Castiel. "I thought angels didn't do the food and drink thing."

Castiel's voice was its usual monotone as he replied, "Sometimes, when certain people are in danger of falling into the pit, they are assigned a 'last-chance' angel to put them back on the path." Looking over at Earl, he added, "These angels have a habit indulging in food and drink, acting more like humans than celestial beings…"

"So… you can eat and everything?" Sam asked, looking interested.

"I don't have to, but yes," Castiel replied, reaching out a hand towards his beer. "Although this brings up some… rather unpleasant memories."

"You mean when you went on a bender?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow in amusement.

"Yes," Castiel replied, reluctantly, as he sipped his beer, his eye drawn to the brunette woman.

"So that is what angels are usually like?" Ziva asked, eyeing Castiel who also seemed to be interested in her.

Earl nodded, helping himself to a hush puppy. "Not many angels choose to stay down here so they don't always get a chance to enjoy human life."

Kelly looked at Abby who was being strangely quiet. "Abby, if you're weirded out by all this, you can take the car back to the hotel. Ziva and I can get a ride back with—"

"No, no!" Abby insisted, looking at Earl and Castiel with interest. "It's fine. It's totally cool. I-I mean, you know…" She lowered her voice so as to avoid drawing any unwanted attention. "How often do you get to meet a real angel?"

After a moment, Kelly shrugged. "I guess."

xx

To Sam and Dean's surprise, Castiel had actually seemed to loosen up just a little bit as the evening wore on. As the guys followed the ladies out of the restaurant after dinner, Dean held Castiel back for a moment. "Okay, Cas… what's going on? You pop in unannounced and then you couldn't stop making eyes at Ziva…"

Castiel looked around but Earl had vanished. "Earl is still an angel. Right now we need everyone we can get to help end this civil war." Glancing around again, he saw Ziva getting into the car with Kelly and Abby.

Dean looked over at Ziva as well and then turned back to Castiel. "Cas? Wait, you…? You and Ziva?"

Castiel was agitated as he said, "My vessel, Jimmy… During dinner I had a… an odd reaction to her."

Dean's eyes widened in disbelief and after a moment, he started laughing, doubling over as he clutched his sides.

"It isn't funny, Dean!" Castiel insisted and he paced anxiously. "I find myself very awkward around Ziva David. I can't concentrate and…"

Dean was breathless as he straightened up, looking at the angel. "Congratulations, Cas. I think you're in love."

"How do I get out of love?" Castiel asked, hoping that there was some way to get rid of these feelings before they started to interfere with his heavenly duties.

* * *

Back at the hotel, Sam left Castiel and Dean to talk out in the parking lot and headed back up to his room, jumping a bit when he saw Kate sitting on his bed. "Okay. Please don't do that," Sam requested as he headed to the dresser. But when he looked into the mirror, he felt his heart rate quicken when he saw that Kate was suddenly wearing only a skimpy camisole tank-top and matching panties. Turning around, he was breathless as she came closer until she was near enough to lean forward and, going on tiptoes, kissed him while winding her arms around his neck.

Sam wasn't quite sure what to do—and he was wondering if he was dreaming as this felt very similar to the dream he'd had about Bela Talbot some years ago. But after a moment or two, he put his hands on Kate's hips and walked her backwards towards the bed. One minute Sam had been wearing clothes and the next he was laying on his bed in only his boxers as he kissed Kate, running his hands over her body.

Kate rolled Sam so that she was on top, just as he slid his hands underneath her top, pulling it off.

"This isn't a dream, is it?" Sam asked, looking into Kate's beautiful brown eyes.

"Nope," Kate replied, running her fingers through Sam's hair as they kissed.

"Good," Sam replied, as he let his hands travel Kate's flawless body.

xx

Outside, Dean was giving Castiel a quick tutorial on dealing with attractive women.

"Dean," Castiel interrupted after a few minutes. "Perhaps you've forgotten but the last time I… attempted intimate relations… it didn't turn out well."

Dean put a hand on the angel's shoulder and made sure he was listening intently. "Which is why you're going to do _exactly_ what I tell you, alright?"

"Yes," Castiel replied, nodding.

Dean considered the best was to instruct the angel on what would hopefully happen. "Can you… tap into Jimmy Novak's thoughts?"

Castiel looked a bit confused by the question but he nodded. "Of course."

"Because this is one time when you want _him_ driving the bus, okay?" Dean replied, making sure Castiel understood. "Look, making love to a woman is natural, alright? Just let Jimmy drive and keep your thoughts out of it."

"I understand," Castiel replied, still looking nervous. After a moment's hesitation, he disappeared.

Dean chuckled to himself as he headed into the hotel and up to his room. But once he'd closed the door, he paused as he heard noises coming from the adjoining room. Deciding not to stay and listen to his brother getting it on, he headed out of the room and down to the restaurant where he found Kelly sitting alone at a table with a piece of pie.

"Dessert buffet over there," she said, pointing with her fork. After Dean had his own pie and was sitting at the table opposite her, she said, "So before you start with the charm, I'm married. Three kids."

"I love kids," Dean said, brightly.

"Really?" Kelly asked, raising her eyebrows, a bit dubious.

Dean smiled at Kelly's reaction. "My girlfriend, Lisa, has a 12-year-old son." After a couple bites of pie he asked, "What about you?"

"Twin girls who just had their 2nd birthday," Kelly said, getting the last of the crumbs off of her plate. "And my son just had his first birthday a couple months ago."

"Sounds like a great family," Dean commented, giving Kelly a warm smile.

"Yeah," Kelly agreed, eyeing the desserts again. "I mean, it's not perfect, but…"

"Yeah, but what family is?" Dean replied, finishing off his pie. "I mean, me and Sam—our mom died when we were kids. Dad's been gone more than 6 years. It's pretty much just the two of us."

Kelly could understand that. "My mom died when I was 8. I was in the car with her when she died. I've almost lost Dad twice now."

Deciding to ask the question that had popped up in his mind from the start, Dean waited until Kelly had come back from the main table with seconds on pie for the two of them. "So why is Kate protecting you?"

Kelly considered the question and replied, "Kate was… one of two women who worked with my dad who were the closest thing I'd ever had to a mother." She undid the chain on the locket she wore and unfolded it, handing it to Dean. "The redhead is Jenny Sheppard, Dad's old partner and former Director of NCIS. She died more than two years ago."

As Dean looked at the pictures in the wallet, he felt a pang of jealousy. Sure, he had Lisa and Ben, but there were times—a lot of times—he felt like he was just trying to make himself fit into their family. But Kelly… she had the family he'd always wanted: Parents, kids, friends… someone to share a bed with every night. Handing the locket back, he asked, "So what are you doing here?"

"Eating pie with you," Kelly replied, smirking. "Ziva, Abby, and I are taking a girls only vacation. So… what are you doing here in North Carolina?"

xx

When Dean finally headed up to his room about an hour later, he was a bit surprised to find Castiel sitting on the bed, looking dazed. "Okay… please tell me you didn't do anything stupid, Cas."

Castiel looked up at Dean, frowning slightly. "It's normal for a woman to cry out and moan during intercourse, right?"

Dean grinned as he went to the bottle of whiskey on the dresser and poured himself and Castiel a shot. "If you do it right, yeah." Handing his friend a glass, he sipped his own drink and asked, "So how was it?"

Castiel downed the whole shot in one gulp and tried to pull himself together. Seeing the expectant look on Dean's face, he said, "Extremely enjoyable."

"Well, good for you, Cas," Dean said, cheerfully as he took another sip of his drink before shedding his jacket. "Glad you're finally starting to mellow out again."

Clearing his throat, Castiel stood up and set the empty glass on the nightstand. "I have to return to heaven. I have… things to do."

Before Dean could say anything, the angel had vanished. Finishing off his drink, he smiled to himself as he pulled out his cellphone and dialed Lisa's number. When she picked up, he sat down on the bed. "Hey."

"Hey, you," Lisa replied, brightly. "How's the job going?"

"Ah, it was nothing needing attention," Dean assured her. "So I'll be home probably end of the week."

"Well, hurry, okay?" Lisa replied, her tone wistful. "I miss you."

"I miss you, too," Dean said, softly. "You and Ben. I'll be home soon. Promise."

"I'll hold you to that," Lisa said before she hung up the phone.

Dean sighed as he set the phone on the nightstand and after a while, he finally lay down and went to sleep.

* * *

When Abby and Kelly met up with Ziva in the restaurant the next morning, the former Mossad agent had a lightness in her step that hadn't been there in a long, long time. "Wow," Abby commented as they sat down in one of the corner tables. "You seem happy this morning. Was it Sam?"

"No," Ziva replied, opening the menu and not meeting her friends' eyes.

"Dean?" Kelly asked, curiously. Who knew what had happened after they'd finished dessert last night.

"No," Ziva insisted.

"Castiel?" Abby asked and when Ziva didn't respond, Abby exchanged a look with Kelly and the both of them leaned closer to Ziva. "So? How was it?"

When Ziva looked at the others, the look of pure contentment on her face was one that they'd never seen before. "I think that was probably the best hour of my life."

xx

Meeting Dean in the hallway, Sam was oddly quiet as they both checked that they had their wallets and weapons before heading for the stairs. When Sam didn't even say 'good morning' Dean said, "So it sounded like you had fun last night. So how was Kate?"

"Wait, how did you…?" Seeing that he'd been baited, Sam frowned, but he couldn't stop the blush creeping up his face.

When his brother turned and continued downstairs, Dean laughed as he caught up. "Wow. Must have been good. So what was it like?"

"How was it with you and Kelly last night, Dean?" Sam snapped sarcastically.

"Hey, man, all we did was talk. Swear," Dean replied. Finding the ladies, they headed over, Dean sitting next to Ziva and Sam sitting between Abby and Kelly.

"So," Kelly began, eyeing Dean. "Thank your friend, Castiel, for me." When Dean gave her a puzzled look, she indicated Ziva as she added, "Apparently he's responsible for quite a magical night."

Sam's head whipped around as he looked at Dean. "Are you serious?"

"What was I supposed to do, Sam?" Dean snapped, although he did manage to keep his voice down. "Cas had a monumental crush on her."

"Dude," Sam said, still sounding annoyed. "The guy is fighting in an angelic civil war. Probably not the best time for a one night stand."

"Whatever, man," Dean replied, shrugging, as a waitress came over to take their orders.

* * *

After declining the ladies' invitation to stay a few more days, Sam and Dean packed up their things and loaded them into their respective cars that afternoon. Kelly had given each of them one of her cards, saying to call her if they were ever in DC and needed federal assistance. Ziva had made sure to tell Dean to pass along the message that anytime Castiel wanted to see her to just pop in—although calling ahead first would be best.

But as Sam did a final sweep of his room, he was slightly startled when Kate popped in on him—thankfully, fully clothed this time.

"You planning on leaving without saying 'good-bye'?" Kate asked she sat on the bed next to Sam's bag.

Sam just stood there for a moment, wrestling with his thoughts. Kate was an amazing woman: Smart, sassy, beautiful… But she was also dead. And despite the incredible night they'd had, he didn't see much of a future for them together. "This isn't going to work," he said, sadly.

"What, just because I'm dead?" Kate asked, surprised. But as she met Sam's eyes, she sighed. She knew he was right. But being around the living for so long she'd stared seriously longing for physical contact. "I'm not suggesting you and I move in together," she added, although she was wondering if Sam even _had_ a permanent address. "I'm just saying after a while, a ghost gets lonely."

"So, what?" Sam said, as he crossed his arms. "You mean you actually want to give this—us—a shot?" As a hunter, he rebelled against the idea. But in truth Kate was probably the first woman he'd had serious feelings for in a very long time.

"I don't know how far I can go from Kelly," Kate admitted as she stood and walked over to Sam. "But if you're ever in DC…"

Putting his hands around Kate's waist—it was like holding onto a solid cloud—Sam bent down and kissed her beautiful lips. When he pulled away, he smiled. "I guess I've done crazier things."

When Kate vanished, Sam grabbed his bag and headed out. When he got to the parking lot he noticed that Dean was already gone—probably already on his way to see Lisa. As Sam headed out of the lot, he smiled to himself. Being in a relationship with a guardian spirit couldn't turn out too badly, right. At least she wasn't a werewolf…


	40. A Man Walks Into a Bar

AUTHOR'S NOTES: This chapter has been in the works for a _long_ time simply because I just couldn't figure out how to write it properly. I tried to keep to the episode as much as posible, with of course changes to include Kelly Gibbs. In addition to the flashbacks from the episode, I also included a few from previous chapters of this story.

Hopefully, this makes up for the wait.

Chapter 40

* * *

_**A Man Walk Into a Bar…**_

Contemplating the package labeled with a Washington, DC address, it was not just Eli David's own daughter's words that kept repeating in his head.

It was also the words of Kelly Gibbs.

"_Leroy Jethro Gibbs is more of a father than you've ever been."_

"_Ziva can't trust you to have her back."_

"_Ziva doesn't trust you. Anything you say is going to sound like more lies and manipulation."_

The words cut deep and Eli had lost several nights' sleep lost in thought as he pondered them.

Kelly was right, of course, and it pained Eli even deeper than he cared to admit. When Ziva had invited him to her naturalization ceremony, he'd first felt a sharp stab of betrayal. Ziva was born and raised in Israel, she'd earned her stripes working for Mossad. Then Eli had felt anger towards Gibbs for turning his daughter against him.

But in truth, Eli had been the one to create the rift between himself and Ziva. He knew that and he also knew that Ziva would not be happy to see him.

Which was the reason he was mailing his daughter's birthday gift rather than delivering it personally as he'd originally intended.

Looking back on the last time he'd spoken with Ziva, Eli realized that there were many things he wished he'd said. After another long moment, he added a message to Ziva's birthday card before enclosing it in the box with her gift and sealing it. In the morning he would send it overnight to his daughter and perhaps start to repair the rift between them.

* * *

_NCIS Headquarters_

The package was waiting on Ziva's desk when she got in to work that morning. After a long hesitation as she noticed the return address on the box, she finally withdrew her letter opener—actually a miniature replica of the sword of King Solomon which Tony had given her for her birthday last year—and swiftly opened the box, gazing at the contents with amazement.

On the top there was an envelope labeled: 'To my daughter'. Pulling out the card as she sat down at her desk, Ziva wasn't sure what she was expecting but she was surprised as she read her father's message.

'_Ziva,_

_The last time we spoke you asked me a question. I'm sorry for not responding to you outright. I _do_ love you, daughter. You are all I have left of better times. _

_Happy birthday, Ziva'_

"What's the fan mail?"

Ziva looked up sharply when she heard Tony's voice and despite the fact that she was tempted to hide the birthday package, she instead feigned indifference as she replied, "Eli sent me a birthday gift."

Noting Ziva's use of her father's first name, Tony lightly perched on the edge of her desk and gave her a concerned look. "You okay with that? I mean, you two didn't exactly part of the best of terms last time."

"I am fine, Tony," Ziva replied, coolly, without looking at him. But as she silently withdrew the contents of her package, her voice trembled slightly as she touched the corner of the card. "Eli… said he loves me." Looking at Tony briefly, she added, "I c… I can count on one hand the number of times he has said that to me, directly."

Tony didn't know what to say and therefore just put his hand on Ziva's, giving her a slight squeeze before going back over to his own desk. As he fired up his computer, he looked over at Ziva who was fingering a small pendant in turquoise and silver hanging from a silver chain. "Pretty," he said, with a casual smile.

Ziva tried but couldn't hide a slight smile. And again there was a slight catch in her voice when she spoke. "When I was a child my mother asked me what my favorite saying was."

"'All it takes for evil to succeed is that good men do nothing'," Tony recited, not bothering to hide his grin when he saw his partner's astonished look. With a nod to the necklace, he asked, "That's what the pendant says?"

Ziva nodded, running a finger over the words on the front and back. "My mother gave this to me on my bat mitzvah. I… I thought I'd lost it more than 10 years ago."

"Agent DiNozzo. Agent David."

Both Tony and Ziva looked up when they heard NCIS Director Leon Vance speak. "Yes, sir," Tony said promptly as he noticed the woman standing with Vance.

"This is Dr. Rachel Cranston," Vance said, in his usual brusque manner. "She'll be conducting your mandatory psych evaluations. Who's ready to talk?"

Before either Tony or Ziva could say anything, Gibbs came up from over by the elevator, his usual morning cup of coffee in his hand. "Talk later," he said, briskly. "Got a dead naval commander on the _USS Colonial_."

"Dr. Cranston is here to observe your team, Agent Gibbs," Vance went on, his tone making it clear that it was neither a request or a debate.

"Well," Gibbs replied, knowing when he was up against a wall. "You can start with Kelly. She should be here in about 10 minutes." Looking at the rest of his team, including McGee who had just got off the elevator, he said, "The rest of you, grab your gear."

Before Vance could stop them, Gibbs had herded his team into the elevator.

Turning to the director, Rachel Cranston gave him a look. "Is Agent Gibbs always this friendly?"

Unable to contain a smile, Vance shrugged and nodded. "Wait till you meet his daughter."

"Just like her father?" Rachel wanted to know.

"Worse," Vance replied, leaving Rachel in the squad room and heading back up to his office.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When Kelly arrived in the empty squad room, she sighed as she unloaded her things at her desk. She'd spend the past hour getting Kate, Jen, and Mikey ready for day care only to find out that the center was closed due to a mini-epidemic of chicken pox. Then she'd had to find a babysitter and get the kids over there…

"Special Agent DiNozzo-Gibbs?"

Kelly looked up to see the red-headed woman approaching her desk. "Can I help you?"

"Dr. Rachel Cranston," the other woman replied, holding out a hand. When Kelly didn't move to shake hands, Rachel lowered hers, and said, quickly. "Director Vance has ordered mandatory psych evals for you and the rest of your father's team."

"Ahh," Kelly said with a smile. "And I'm first on the list, eh?"

Rachel gave the younger woman a smile. "No. But everyone else jumped ship before you got here."

Kelly nodded and leaned back in her chair. "Okay. What do you want to know? My family history, dynamics with the team…"

"Why don't we go into the conference room?" Rachel asked, casually. When Kelly followed, she led the way into the room just off of the squad room and closed the door behind them.

Once Kelly had taken a seat on one side of the table, Rachel sat down on the other side, ready to take notes. In truth, Kelly was one of the people she'd been most eager to talk with. "So you've been at NCIS almost all your life," Rachel prompted.

Kelly nodded, shortly. "After Mom died, Dad didn't like leaving me alone while he was gone so he finally decided to take me with him." Thinking back on the first time she'd come to NCIS, Kelly could still remember Mike Franks' gruff voice saying _"This ain't a goddamn day-care, probie."_

"You're close to your father," Rachel noted, curious about the father/daughter relationship between Jethro Gibbs and Kelly. "That must make working cases difficult. Plus, I know that you were the senior agent on the team temporarily."

"I was pregnant with twins," Kelly explained. "Director Vance didn't think it was safe for me to be doing field work."

Rachel nodded, remembering reading that Kelly had three children. "Is it hard raising a family with your job being so demanding?"

Kelly thought back to when she'd been driving to Stillwater, Pennsylvania with McGee and they'd stopped briefly off the side of the road.

_Pulling the car off to the side of the road, McGee looked at Kelly. "You're scared something will happen to Kate and Jenny?"_

_"I'm scared something will happen to _me_," Kelly said, feeling tears in her eyes._

Kelly took a moment to consider how best to respond. "My team is my family as much as Dad or my kids. I'd do anything for any of them."

"Still," Rachel pressed, looking for something in particular. "It must be hard to find a balance between being an agent and being a mother."

_Lying on a table in autopsy, Kelly felt another contraction. She gave Ducky a look as she said, "Ducky, there's no way in _Hell_ I'm having my kids be born in autopsy!'_

"I've learned to work it out," Kelly replied. "My daughters are young but they know Abby and Ziva as their aunts. Ziva's name was Jen's first word."

"Jen," Rachel repeated, curiously. "Named after Director Sheppard?"

Kelly nodded. "Jennifer Shannon and Caitlin Cassidy—my twin girls."

"And you have a son as well, correct?" Rachel asked, remembering what she'd read before. Giving Kelly a pointed look, she added, "A son that was with someone _other_ than your husband, Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo."

Kelly caught the very slight look of surprise on the psychiatrist's face when she'd mentioned the names of her daughters. Saving the thought for another day, however, she simply gave Rachel a sly smile. "Ah-ha. I wondering when you'd bring that up." Leaning forward, she said, "Yes, Michael is the son of NCIS Special Agent G. Callen. But Tony loves Mikey like his own."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When Gibbs, Ziva, McGee, and Tony came back from the crime scene, it became Ziva's turn for her psych evaluation.

Sitting in the conference room with Dr. Rachel Cranston, Ziva could not hide her defensiveness as she asked, "Now, why exactly are we doing this?"

"We are just talking," Rachel explained, evenly, holding up a hand to calm Ziva. "Just getting to know each other."

But Ziva would not be calmed and she seemed to become even more agitated as she replied, "Okay, but I do not need to know _you_ and this is actually taking time away from my _work_!" Work that—in the past few months—she'd thrown herself into trying to escape everything else in her life.

"Sometime a little time away from work is a really good thing," Rachel countered, thinking of all the times she'd had to step away from the job when her problems threatened to overwhelm her. "I do admire your dedication, though."

"Dedication is important to me," Ziva said, not sure where this thread of conversation was going.

"Hasn't that been something you've been juggling your whole life?" Rachel asked, thinking of what she'd read in Ziva David's file.

Ziva looked a little confused and replied as such. "I do not know what you mean."

In response, Rachel quickly clarified the question, "Juggling dedication to family, to country, to job…" Honestly, Rachel wondered how Ziva could possible handle everything she was asked to do. Something had to give somewhere, surely.

Ziva felt herself go back to confronting her father back in Israel after the death of Mossad operative, Michael Rivkin.

"_Why was I not told the details of his mission? Why was I excluded?" Ziva demanded of her father, her usual calm giving way to the turmoil of emotions building up inside._

"_Because, Ziva," Eli David had responded, his voice thick with the feeling of betrayal. "I don't know who you answer to anymore: NCIS or Mossad!"_

"_What is it you expect from me?" Ziva demanded, not even sure where her own loyalties lay anymore._

"_I expect your loyalty," Eli snapped, angrily. "To _me._ And _only me_!"_

Those last words echoed in Ziva's head as she looked at Rachel and tried to regain her composure. "I do not understand how this is relevant to what you need to know," Ziva said, wishing she was anywhere else other than in this conference room, spilling her soul to this shrink who clearly didn't believe that some things should just stay buried.

"It tells me something about _you_," Rachel explained. "About what brought you here…about where you came from." It took her a moment to keep herself in check and not give away any clues as to why she was really here at NCIS. "When you first came here, you replaced another agent, correct?"

"Yes," Ziva replied, grateful that they were moving into well established history. "Special Agent Caitlin Todd. She was killed in the line of duty. I had never met her before but I know that her loss was significant to NCIS." Although Ziva was trying to keep her answers straight forward, she couldn't help remembering how detached everyone had been towards her at first. Treating her like some sort of interloper, or worse—like a constant reminder of the agent she was replacing.

"The two of you seem to be very different people," Rachel noted with interest. "Special Agent Todd was formerly with the Secret Service. She was a protector." Looking at Ziva, she went on. "You're more of a fighter."

"That seems accurate," Ziva replied with a slight nod. She didn't want to talk about her feelings. For most of her life she'd been trained to be unemotional—cold, even. Yet coming to the States and NCIS she'd learned that her emotions were as valuable as her fighting skills or her accuracy with a 9mm. "But things change," she added after a while. "And I have learned that sometimes you have to… to fight to protect what you have."

Rachel thought about that for a while and settled on the one question she'd wanted to as Ziva David from the beginning. "Let me ask you something. With all that's changed in your life over the past 6 years… what is it that you want?"

It was a question that Ziva had asked herself off and on for the past 5 years. Ever since she'd started working with NCIS she'd seen that her teammates—while they all worked with the same goals—had different personal pursuits of their own. Whether it was McGee's novels, or Tony's car, or Gibbs' boat—all of them had things that they… But Ziva realized that what she was thinking about were the _hobbies_ of those she worked with.

"_I wish I could stop caring," Ziva said, a note of longing in her voice. "Just… do what I want…"_

"_Like what?" Tony asked, wondering what hidden desires Ziva had. "What would Ziva David do if she didn't have to worry about what anyone thought?"_

But more than that, she wanted… "I want something… permanent," Ziva finally replied. "Something that _cannot_ be taken away." After another moment, she added, "I want a home and… a family. I want to find a place where I belong." Try as she might, Ziva was unable to keep the catch out of her voice as she said, "Is that too much to ask?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Looking at her list of who she still needed to evaluate, Rachel considered the next name on the list with something bordering on trepidation. She knew Dr. Donald Mallard had a degree in psychology and would likely counter her psychological probing with some of his own and that might jeopardize her cover. Thankfully, NCIS's medical examiner wasn't exactly a priority at the moment.

Thankfully, Gibbs had instructed Agent Timothy McGee to go check out a suspect's home and Rachel went with him.

In the car, Rachel noticed that McGee didn't seem to be a tense as before when he'd been around Agent DiNozzo. "So, doing field work without Agent DiNozzo must be invigorating," she commented, casually. When McGee looked ever so slightly puzzled by the comment, she added, "Puts you in charge."

"Yeah, I'll admit it does feel pretty good sometime, yeah," McGee admitted after thinking on it for a second.

Rachel smiled as she studied the young agent. "You're the one who didn't start out in the military or law enforcement. The only one with an Ivy League education, yet you've successfully transformed from probie to Special Agent."

The word 'probie' made McGee wonder how Rachel knew about that but not wanting to get into his hazing days at NCIS, he quick cleared his throat and pulled the conversation back to something the shrink had pointed out earlier. "Well, Kelly's never been in law enforcement or the military, either," he commented, trying to pull the attention away from himself. In his entire life, Timothy McGee had _never_ felt comfortable spilling his guts to psychiatrists.

"That's true," Rachel admitted, actually happy for the shift in conversation as there was something she'd wanted to ask. "Kelly Gibbs was given a pass on FLETC, along with all the other usual law enforcement exams."

"I guess," McGee replied, not sure of exactly what Director Sheppard had done to give Gibbs' daughter clearance to become an agent.

"Kelly has flown under the radar almost her whole life," Rachel went on. "Being allowed into NCIS without visitor clearance. Not having to pass exams required for all other agents." Looking at McGee, she asked, "Do you ever feel jealous of her for reaping all the rewards with none of the hard work you've had to put in?"

McGee was quiet for a moment as he considered the question, and truth be told, he _did_ feel that it was unfair. He'd worked his ass off all through high school and college and even at FLETC, he'd even had to accept help from others to ensure that he passed his final exams with flying colors. "Yeah… Yeah, I'm jealous sometimes."

"But not often?" Rachel pressed, now becoming more and more intrigued.

Thinking on how best to answer the question, McGee finally replied, "Kelly only started coming to NCIS as a child because her mother was killed in a car crash." Giving Rachel a pointed look, he added, "I don't think it's fair that she's practically had her career at NCIS handed to her, but it wasn't fair that her mother had to die for that to happen, either."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was late in the evening when Rachel came upon Agent Anthony DiNozzo by the vending machines. There was so much she wanted to know about the senior field agent and when she saw him trying to manhandle the vending machine to get his candy bar, she spoke up. "It's frustrating, isn't it?" When Tony gave her a 'what are you talking about?' look, she clarified the question. "You made a choice, follow directions, and, uh… It doesn't work out."

"It's just a candy bar," Tony replied, shrugging it off. "No big deal."

"Who said I was talking about a candy bar?" Rachel asked with a knowing smile.

Walking away from the vending machine, Tony said, "You want to do this now? Fine. How far back do you want to go?" He _hated _shrinks. Because whenever they started to get into his head, he hated having to defend every single decision and mistake he'd ever made.

"'Two roads diverged in a yellow wood'," Rachel quoted, calmly. "'And sorry I could not travel both'."

Tony felt his mind go back to back to when Director Sheppard offered him the chance to lead his own team in Rota, Spain. He'd turned it down back then, citing the fact that Gibbs was still getting back into things after the coma and temporary retirement. But that wasn't the only reason, he knew now. "We make decisions," he said, simply. "And we live with them."

"Some decisions are easier than others," Rachel pointed out. There was a question she'd been wanting to ask and deciding to jump in, she said, "Your track record with NCIS is exemplary. But the past couple years you've been holding back—not jumping in headfirst."

Tony was momentarily distracted when he heard the vending machine finally dispense his candy bar. But when he turned back to Rachel, he just replied, "There are things more important than being first out of the gate." He hesitated, wanting to say more, but also wondering if he actually should. Finally, he bit the bullet and said, "I used to think that I had to be the number one agent."

"But not any more? Why is that?" Rachel wanted to know. Tony DiNozzo was always driven, always confident. What could possibly have made him change from feeling like a god, to feeling like a human?

Tony gave Rachel an honest smile and a slight chuckle as he said, "Because I have two girls who worship the ground I walk on after doing nothing more than walk through the door at the end of the day." Without another word, he turned and headed out of the break room.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Heading in to the forensics lab, Rachel wasn't surprised at the brush-off she received from Abby.

"I can't right now," Abby said, in a rush, trying to avoid letting the psychologist get a word in. "I love my job, I love my Gibbs—Gibbses?—I need more sleep, and I am learning not to be so hard on myself," she threw in, hoping that covered all the bases. "See how much time we just saved?"

"Well, I know for a fact that you can work and talk at the same time," Rachel replied, not to be deterred. "You are a champion multi-tasker."

It was a little-known fact at NCIS that appealing to Abby Scuito's ego—always kept firmly in check—was a very good way put a chink in her armor. It wasn't as though Abby was insecure in any way, but she always felt that those who acknowledged her best strengths were also the ones who would be most understanding of her weaknesses.

"Okay," Abby said, deciding to put her work aside for just a moment. "I'm scared," she admitted.

"Of what?" Rachel asked, not sure what Abby Scuito would possibly have to be afraid of.

"Well, what if I tell you a bunch of stuff and then I learn things about myself that I totally hate?" Abby asked.

"Well, that _could_ happen, but… unlikely," Rachel replied, honestly.

"Okay, then," Abby said, building herself up for the mental barrage that would surely be coming next. "Criticize me. I'm ready."

"I have nothing to criticize," Rachel admitted, with a reassuring smile and a warm laugh that—unbeknownst to her—reminded Abby of Kate Todd. "You are totally grounded in self confidence. You make Goth look gorgeous and fun."

That threw Abby more than a little bit, although she was very careful not to let that show. "I'm not a goth," she protested, lightly. "I'm a scientist."

"And a great one," Rachel acknowledged. "But you work too hard," she admonished, gently. "Is there any 'Abby-time'?"

"I make sandwiches for the shelter on Sundays," Abby replied, not sure what Rachel was referring to by 'Abby-time'.

"That's not relaxing," Rachel pointed out.

"I drive for the food bank," Abby added, still unsure of what she was supposed to say.

"All work and no play…" Rachel said, mildly. "Do you ever hang out with any of your female co-workers?"

Abby seemed to brighten just a bit. "Last month I went on a road trip down to North Carolina with Ziva and K-Kelly," she replied, catching herself before she mentioned that Kate's ghost had tagged along. "But, you know... Ziva's seeing someone, and Gibbs is… well, Gibbs. And then Kelly's got the kids, although I don't mind babysitting." But Abby paused as she thought of the one member of Team Gibbs that had ever come close to being a real friend. "I miss Kate," Abby admitted. "Agent Todd, I mean. Although I do also miss Kelly's daughter, Kate."

Thinking of Agent Todd, Rachel nodded. "I'd be concerned if you didn't."

Hearing her computer beep, Abby's mind quickly shifted from personal to professional and she said, "Look, um, this is really great and all and you're not half as creepy as I thought you would be. But this place and my job-it means everything to me and I'd really like to get back to it, please."

"Work," Rachel said with full understanding as she left the lab and the brilliant queen of multi-taskers to her kingdom of equipment.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Finding Tony in autopsy late that night, standing over the body of a dead naval commander, Rachel said nothing as she walked over, standing on the other side of the cold, stainless steel slab. She looked at the body and then at Tony before asking, "What do you see when you look at him, Agent DiNozzo?"

Tony thought about the question for a moment and finally looked up at Rachel. "Man works his whole life, dedicates himself to his job, and then has nothing to show for it."

"How does that make you feel?" Rachel asked, curious.

"Sad," Tony admitted. When he saw that Rachel wanted to know more, he added, "Because if I didn't have Kelly and the kids…" Looking back at the commander, he said, "This could be me." Looking up again, he said, "I'm a good agent, Dr. Cranston. I like to believe I'm a good husband, a good father. And yes, 4 years ago I should have leapt at the chance to become an even better agent. But I didn't. Because I had more important things to take care of here."

"Better things?" Rachel asked.

Tony's shrug was miniscule, but conveyed the message. He knew that he could have become one of NCIS's best agents. But thinking of the naval commander lying on the slab before him, he wondered if the sacrifice and work would have been worth it. If, in the end, he would have had something to show for his efforts. Meeting Rachel's eyes, he found something there he hadn't seen in nearly 6 years. After a moment, he smiled and said, "I think I just realized who you are, Rachel."

Rachel smiled at Tony. Of all the members of Gibbs' team, she'd wondered who would finally recognize her as Caitlin Todd's sister.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The squad room was quiet and empty as Rachel stood before the desk that had once belonged to her sister and now belonged to Agent Ziva David. Sitting down behind the desk, there was nothing left of Kate and part of Rachel was saddened by that. She knew she should go home but she just couldn't bring herself to leave the place that her only sister had called home for two years.

After a while, Rachel lay down on the floor behind the desk, her jacket covering her legs. She was tired—physically, emotionally, and mentally. She needed to sleep and as she closed her eyes and nodded off, she could have sworn she felt someone move her jacket so she was more covered from the cool of the night.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

When Gibbs arrived first thing the next morning, he saw Rachel lying behind Ziva's desk and he remembered a time when Kate had done the same thing the morning before she died. He could even remember covering Kate up as she slept. Kneeling down and placing a cup of coffee by Rachel's elbow, Gibbs couldn't help but notice that Kate and Rachel had even slept in the same position—on the left side, one arm bent underneath as a pillow, the other arm, held close for a quick get up if need be.

When Rachel stirred, raising herself up a bit to see who had awoken her, Gibbs asked, "So, how'd we do?"

"I can't tell," Rachel replied, shaking off the last bit of drowsiness. "Doctor-patient privilege."

"Ahh, come on, Doc," Gibbs said, coaxingly before taking a long swig from his own coffee cup. "It's me."

"Still one agent I haven't spoken to, yet," Rachel said, giving Gibbs a pointed look.

"Well, that's not going to happen," Gibbs replied with a smile.

"I forgot," Rachel said with a smile as she sat up, throwing off her jacket. "You're perfect."

'_Hardly,'_ Gibbs thought. "No. No, I'm just too set in my ways to change now," he said, honestly. After a moment, he said, "You know when you were lying there, you looked just like your sister, you know that?"

Rachel smiled, happy to not have to worry about covering up who she really was any more.

Thinking of when he'd first offered Kate Todd a job at NCIS and the last time he'd seen her alive, Gibbs said, gratefully, "I'm glad you reached out. Did you find what you were looking for?"

Rachel nodded, hesitantly. "Finally got to meet the people closest to Kate when she died."

"Closure?" Gibbs asked, understanding.

"Some," Rachel replied, nodding, suddenly feeling like Gibbs was the psychiatrist and she was the patient. "Some." Taking a sip of her coffee, her voice cracked as she said, "You've done better letting go than I have."

"You don't forget," Gibbs replied, solemnly, as he thought about Shannon. "You just move on." Helping Rachel to her feet, he said, "Come on. I want to show you something."

"Where are we going?" Rachel asked, confused.

"Home," Gibbs said, simply as he helped Kate's sister on with her coat.

xxx

On the way to his house, Gibbs called Kelly, asking her to bring the twins over.

When he and Rachel got to the old house, Gibbs led her down to the basement, and stood her on a spot near the far side of the basement. "Stand right here," he said, positioning Rachel to the right place. "Look down." When she did so, he held her lightly and asked, "Feel that? Right there."

"What?" Rachel asked, not understanding what Gibbs was up to.

"This is where the guy who murdered Kate died," Gibbs said, calmly.

Rachel looked up, still not understanding what Gibbs was trying to do. What did he want her to feel? Relief? Justice?

"This is where Ziva shot her own brother," Gibbs went on. When Rachel tried to move from the spot, he stopped her, gently and said, "_That_, Doc… That is closure." Gently putting his hands on Rachel's shoulders, he said, quietly, "Now the rest is just memories. Only memories."

Rachel remembered talking with Kate as she complained about working with Gibbs. She remembered reassuring her baby sister that Gibbs wouldn't have hired her if he hadn't seen her potential. Pulled from her memories, she glanced over at Gibbs who was pouring a hefty dose of bourbon into a glass jar. "Never went to the funeral," she admitted. "Just couldn't do it."

"Families all grieve in different ways," Gibbs replied, knowing how Rachel felt.

Drawing on her professional calm, Rachel said, "Let me ask you a question, Gibbs. See if you can answer. A man walks into a bar—asks the bartender for a glass of water. Bartender pulls out a shotgun, fires a blast just missing the man. Man says 'thank you' puts a tip on the bar and exits. Why the 'thank you' and the tip?"

While Rachel took a drink from her jar, Gibbs thought about the question, breaking into a smile. "Guy had the hiccups."

Rachel smiled as well but before she could say anything, she stopped when she heard someone upstairs. Looking at Gibbs, she asked, "Expecting company?"

Without a word, Gibbs took both jars and set them on the work bench. Turning to Rachel, he said, "There's someone that you need to meet." Leading her upstairs to the living room, he saw Kelly and Tony standing there, holding their twin girls.

Rachel smiled at Tony who gave her a warm, knowing smile in return. Kelly's smile was much sadder and she tentatively took a step forward, holding one of her daughters in her arms. "When…" Kelly's voice choked a bit and after a moment, she took a deep breath and tried again. "My mom died when I was 8. When I named my girls, I wanted to name them after two women who were the closest thing I had to having a real mom again." Looking at Tony holding Jen, she went on. "So I named my daughters after Director Jennifer Sheppard…" Kelly looked at Kate and then at Rachel. "And Special Agent Caitlin Todd."

Rachel didn't know what to say. She had known that Kelly and her sister had been close. But knowing that Kelly had regarded Kate like a surrogate mother… After a moment, she asked, " May I…? Can I hold her?"

Kelly smiled warmly and handed Kate over to Rachel. Kate looked confused for a moment but soon she broke into a toothy grin.

As Rachel held the little girl, remembering when her parents had first let her hold her baby sister, she understood—truly understood—what it felt like to have closure.


	41. Fallen Hero

AUTHOR'S NOTES: I want to thank everyone for the ideas and thoughts on this chapter. I aplogize for how woefully short it is, but I thought it better to go short and sweet than longer and lose the essence of the situation.

As far as timing, Mike Franks' death follows my own story timeline and ignores the episode 'Swan Song' except for a few select details.

* * *

NCIS-WSHB: Fallen Hero

* * *

The Arlington National Cemetery was quiet as Kelly and her family gathered the grave site of former NCIS Special Agent Michael Franks.

Behind his daughter, Leroy Jethro Gibbs stood silently. He'd suspected something was amiss with his old mentor when Mike Franks had last visited for the 5th birthday of Kelly's son. Franks had seemed older, and looked like he'd been sick for a while.

But the older man hadn't talked about it, and Gibbs hadn't asked.

Looking at Kelly with her kids—the twins and Mikey—Gibbs couldn't imagine how his little girl was dealing with this. Kelly hadn't been much older than her son when she'd met Franks and over the years Kelly had come to regard the gruff agent as a combination of 2nd father/grandfather/uncle. The two had bonded from day one and Franks had said on more than one occasion that he got along with Kelly better than any other woman he'd ever met.

Next to Gibbs, Leila Shakarji stood with Franks' granddaughter, Amira, who seemed to understand that this was a sad time, even if she was too young to understand why.

Next to Kelly, Tony stood with an arm around his wife, and his other hand resting on the shoulder of his son, Michael Franklin DiNozzo. Tony and Kelly's daughters—Jennifer and Caitlin—looked somber, and silent tears were falling down Kate's cheeks.

The rest of the NCIS team stood next to Gibbs.

Tim McGee was quiet as he observed the memorial service, one arm around Abby Scuito who was just barely holding on, emotionally. Next to them, Ziva David stood stoically, and even though she didn't seem to be as emotionally wrecked as the others, her eyes glistened with unshed tears.

As the Director of NCIS, Kelly made her way to the front, standing next Mike Franks' coffin which had been carved by her father. Looking at the assembled group, she said, "Mike Franks and I first met after my father joined the agency. I'm sure other kids would have been intimidated, but I wasn't most kids." Looking at her own family, she took a moment before continuing. "Mike did have a son, Liam, who died some years ago. Liam died before really knowing his daughter, Amira. Mike also had three ex-wives who always tried to be the most important thing in his life, but ultimately Mike was married to his job. He became an agent to make a difference, and he did, whether he realized it or not."

It took a moment before Kelly could collect herself enough to carry on. Looking at the crowd, she said, "Mike will be remembered as an exceptional agent and an inspiring mentor… but more importantly as a close friend and a loving grandfather."

As she stepped back to join Tony and her children, Kelly could hear Mike's voice as he appeared next to her, unseen by anyone else.

"Beautiful words," Mike said with a sad smile, watching the Marines finishing the 21-gun salute before folding the flag that had been laid upon the top of the coffin before giving it to Gibbs who gave it to Amira. On the top of the coffin was an expertly carved wood relief of the emblem of the United States Marine Corps. "Tell Probie I said 'thanks' for the wood work. Never been one for fancy resting places." Seeing that Kelly wanted to say something to him, Mike sighed. "You don't have to say anything, Kelly. We all have to go some time."

"You okay?" Tony asked, taking Kelly's hand and looking at her with concern.

"Yeah," Kelly replied, flatly.

xxxxxx

The wake was held at Gibbs' house and long after everyone else had gone, Gibbs found himself in his basement. A bottle of bourbon and an empty mason jar sat on his work table and Gibbs poured himself an ample amount of the amber liquid before taking a sip.

"Hello, Probie."

Gibbs turned to see Mike Franks standing there, grinning. "Was wondering when you'd come by," Gibbs said as he sipped his drink.

"Stopped in on Kelly first," Mike replied, sitting by the workbench. "You know, I never thanked you, Jethro." Catching Gibbs' look, he clarified. "For bringing her to the office the first time. Daughter I never had."

"I never thanked you for saving Kelly's life in that diner," Gibbs replied.

"I had a good run, Probie," Mike said, picking up the jar of bourbon in front of him. When Gibbs toasted him, the older man laughed. "You should see the little piece of Heaven I've got. My own bar, piece of beach in Mexico…"

"Everything you ever wanted," Gibbs finished with a sad smile.

"Not everything," Mike corrected, sadly. "Won't get to be here to see my granddaughter grow up… get married to _your_ grandson."

Gibbs went quiet, a question popping up in his mind.

As if sensing the thought, Mike shook his head. "Don't worry. You'll be here for a long time. Shannon _and_ Jenny have already threatened to kick my ass if I let you kick the bucket before you're supposed to."

Gibbs couldn't help but laugh at that. When he felt Mike leave, he sipped his bourbon again and simply said, "Semper fi, boss."


End file.
